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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/22935280">Waiting For You</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account'>orphan_account</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Dr. STONE (Anime)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>AU, Aged-Up Character(s), Childbirth, Established Relationship, Gen is unintentionally oblivious, M/M, Mpreg, Pregnancy, Senkuu's having a rough time, Taiju's trying his best</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-02-28</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-07-30</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-01 07:55:02</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>9</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>23,665</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/22935280</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>It turned out that, when Senkuu was depetrified, he wasn't alone after all.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Asagiri Gen/Ishigami Senkuu</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>106</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>403</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. You can count on me</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Konbanwa! I came up with this idea while writing my other story, Through Blood and Pain (I am Still the Same). The plan was to hold off on this one until I got that one completed, but I wrote this out when I got struck with inspiration and I really want to share it!</p><p>This story is NOT connected to TBaP. Just a similar concept to that one, but applied differently! </p><p>I hope you enjoy :)</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>He sprinted for all he was worth, dodging shrubs and branches and launching over fallen trees.</p><p>Japan was beautiful in a terrifying way when it was overrun by nature. Tall, twisted trees darted by, vines hanging down to try and touch him, tickling at his skin if his path strayed too close. Once, a long time ago, this thick forest was probably a city- for all he knew, this used to be a place he knew well. Without a single manmade landmark he would never recognize it.</p><p>Various animals appeared along the way only to scatter as soon as his thundering steps grew near; some of them he had never seen before in his life, but the curiosity they inspired was nothing compared to his focused drive on following the river. There was someone waiting for him.</p><p>
  <em>Follow the river downstream, Big Oaf.</em>
</p><p>The simple message had immediately made his heart race and he was turning on his heel before he could even think it over.</p><p>Leaving Yuzuriha behind was hard, but for now she was safe and he could afford to leave her alone for a little while longer. <em>I’ll come back!</em> he promised mentally.</p><p>A branch scratched at his bare shoulder. He hissed, not slowing his pace.</p><p>
  <em>I’m not alone! He’s here too!</em>
</p><p>He kept going and going, picking up speed in desperation. The bottoms of his feet were growing numb but still he kept going and going and <em>going-</em></p><p>And then, suddenly, there he was, and Taiju almost slammed right into him.</p><p>A familiar smirk, a familiar voice.</p><p>“So you’re finally awake, you big oaf.”</p><p>Taiju had to skid to a stop just inches away from his friend, then all he could do was stare.</p><p>For someone living without any modern technology in the middle of the wilderness, Senkuu looked good- he even had clothes: a strange tan gown with a belt as well as some giant socks tied around his feet that were probably supposed to be shoes.</p><p>He also seemed more fit than Taiju remembered, thin limbs corded with lean muscle. In one hand he clutched a primitive axe, in the other a grouping of sticks, taller than he was, tied together with rope. He held the sticks upright, propped on the ground beside him, and leaned against them.</p><p>Of course, there was one big thing that was different about him that was causing Taiju to stare. The first question he could blurt out was, “So Gen’s awake too?”</p><p>Judging by Senkuu’s surprised blink, that was not what he’d expected him to say.</p><p>“Nope. Just you and me.”</p><p>Taiju’s gaze lowered once more to Senkuu’s rounded stomach, horrified.</p><p>“So you’ve been pregnant for-”</p><p>“Three-thousand seven hundred and nineteen years? Apparently.”</p><p>“<em>Three-thousand-”</em></p><p>“-seven hundred and nineteen.” Senkuu grinned, cocking a brow intersected by a lightning bolt scar. “Today is October 5, 5738. You slept in for quite a while.”</p><p>“H-how do you know that?”</p><p>“I counted, obviously.”</p><p>Taiju took a few moments to recover from that shock and then edged closer, caught between the impulse to violently hug and delicately coddle. “And how long have <em>you</em> been awake?”</p><p>Senkuu slipped the axe into a pouch on his belt and used his free hand to rub at the small of his back with a wince. “A little over six months; I estimate I’m at thirty-five weeks gestation. You depetrified just in time- I need you to do the heavy lifting from here on out. There’s a lot to do.”</p><p>His friend walked with just the barest hint of a waddle, leading the way to a clearing not far from there.</p><p>Taiju hadn’t been expecting the simple yet sturdy treehouse, the rack of spears, the laboratory… Considering how much his small friend struggled to work around his huge stomach, it was amazing he’d gotten so much built without any help.</p><p>Senkuu could still climb the ladder but had to sit down once he reached the platform. He sat with his legs sprawled, an annoyed look on his face as he regained his breath.</p><p><em>He would’ve been in big trouble in a few weeks if he was still by himself,</em> Taiju realized. He may not have been the smartest guy out there, but he knew that pregnancy only got worse until the end. Soon enough he’d bet Senkuu wouldn’t be able to climb the ladder anymore, and- as his friend later explained, citing predators and unfavorable weather- it was best that he stay up there when that happened. He would need someone else to make all ventures down for hunting and supply purposes. In the meantime he also needed someone who could do the more demanding physical work- his already flimsy stamina was totally sapped and Taiju was sure it would be bad for the baby if Senkuu overworked himself.</p><p>Of course there was no way Taiju would say no.</p><p>“I’ll leave the brainy stuff to you and you leave the muscley stuff to me! You can count on me, Senkuu!”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. That tiny sensation</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Wow! Thanks for all the name recs! An idea is starting to form for a good name, but please, continue leaving suggestions! Even ones I don't use this time can be saved for... later :)</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Taiju wished Gen and Yuzuriha were here too. Not only did Taiju miss Yuzu painfully, not only did Senkuu miss Gen painfully, but Taiju had the feeling those two would know more ways to be useful to Senkuu when he was in this state. Taiju could only watch as Senkuu struggled to do the most mundane of tasks; even as the weeks passed- surprisingly quickly with their alcohol project in the works- Senkuu refused to go on bedrest despite the clear strain he was under. Taiju knew he would never overwork himself to the point of hurting his baby, but his friend was clearly uncomfortable doing things even as simple as pottery. Even sitting at his desk in the lab had him squirming within minutes, that constant irritated look on his face.</p><p>Yuzuriha would know how to broach the topic better. Gen would be able to come up with some roundabout way to make his boyfriend agree.</p><p>Taiju had tried convincing Senkuu to take a step back and had been defeated, as always, by his big words explaining exactly why that was a stupid idea. Senkuu could be brusque all the time, but never had Taiju seen him like this. Even when he pulled several all nighters working on a frustrating project Senkuu didn’t get this irritable.</p><p>It was obvious he was aware of the change in his own behavior and was trying his best to curb it, but often he was unable to stop himself from being snippy.</p><p>Not that Taiju could blame him.</p><p>The bigger teen had never done any research on pregnancy and had no idea what the typical drawbacks were, but watching his friend made it clear the aches and pains he was going through. Two weeks from Taiju’s depetrification Senkuu could rarely stand without swaying his hips subtly from side to side, and one hand was usually positioned on his lower back, massaging or bracing. When he sat or stood, he groaned. His feet had gotten touchy and apparently his ankles were starting to swell. His legs tended to cramp up. At night he tossed and turned for hours, grumbling to himself or sighing in resignation. Towards the end of the second week, more and more he tended to shift his weight from foot to foot, hands braced under his stomach, supporting its weight, hissing as something, somewhere was hurting. Sometimes it seemed like the pain was in his stomach itself, sometimes in his hips.</p><p>It was clear: Senkuu was miserable.</p><p>On the flipside, though…</p><p>When Taiju returned to camp each morning, basket full of goodies, Senkuu could usually be found in the treehouse, seated on the pile of blankets Taiju had dubbed “The Nest”. He would be kind of hunched over, hands tiredly rubbing at his stomach as though caressing the unborn baby inside. Usually his eyes would be closed and his expression would be one of rare peace, an affectionate smile pulling at his lips.</p><p>He was exhausted and achy and miserable, but the baby made him happy too.</p><p>Senkuu talked to it a lot, a habit he’d apparently developed before Taiju’s appearance in his desperation for someone to talk to. Taiju would approach to ask him a question and find Senkuu was jabbering on, telling stories or explaining what he was doing. He didn’t change his tone to indicate he was talking to a baby, though- he spoke casually as though he was talking to some invisible friend, which was definitely confusing every once in a while.</p><p>When he would tell the baby about its father, his eyes would shine but it was always in a bittersweet way. Taiju, understanding the feeling, would find something else to do to give his friend some space- usually that meant going to visit Yuzuriha. He considered himself lucky that he knew where she was; Gen was still missing.</p><p>The third week was the worst. There were three straight days Senkuu could barely make it out of bed; he was sick to his stomach most of the time and when he was awake, he was dead on his feet. Taiju had to carry him around just so the stubborn scientist could get things done.</p><p>Once the sickness passed he was back to being as independent as possible, but never to the same degree as before.</p><p>The discomfort turned into an expectant kind of anxiety in the fourth week. The alcohol was being distilled and, when he wasn’t monitoring that, Senkuu focused his efforts on readying the treehouse. He’d cleaned it to his best ability at least five times that Taiju could count and he’d rearranged The Nest at least twice; the supplies he’d designated for the birth sat in a sloppily woven basket in the corner.</p><p>He also started preparing Taiju for what to expect.</p><p>“Staying calm is the most essential step,” he repeated over and over again. “Things should go fine, but especially in the case of an emergency, panicking is ten billion percent the worst thing you can do.”</p><p>“Right!”</p><p>He was warned repeatedly: there would be blood. Possibly a scary-looking amount. He needed to stay calm.</p><p>Unless Senkuu was out of commission, he wasn’t expected to play that active of a role; Senkuu explained the terrifying situations in which Taiju <em>would</em> be needed, including breech birth, the baby getting stuck, hemorrhage, and a whole slew of other complications, as well as the best ways he could try to fix them. But, he reassured, in all likelihood things would be fine and all Taiju needed to do was let him handle it.</p><p>Senkuu didn’t seem too stressed about the birth itself, but maybe Taiju was just bad at reading things like that. Surely he had to be worried about what would happen- they couldn’t call an ambulance if anything went wrong! The only help he would have was Taiju, the Big Oaf.</p><p>That <em>had</em> to be unnerving.<br/>
--</p><p>Senkuu was sitting by the fire, arms crossed over his chest against the chill in the air. His breaths fogged in front of his face, sometimes hiding it from view.</p><p>Taiju was seated on the ground a few feet away, taking a break from running Senkuu’s long list of errands; normally he could do it no sweat, but today the list was twice as long. As the baby’s arrival got closer and closer, Senkuu seemed to come up with more and more “vital” tasks out of nowhere.</p><p>It also didn’t help that the scientist was grumpy because he’d had another bad night of sleep; he tried to be as quiet as possible, but his constant shifting around and muted groaning always woke Taiju- not that Taiju ever said anything. At this point he was used to getting only a few hours of sleep per night, and his only regret was that there wasn’t anything he could do to help his poor friend. The bags under Senkuu’s eyes were dark and prominent, looking like bruises.</p><p>A sudden quick exhale caught Taiju’s attention and he zoned back in, peering up at Senkuu who had doubled over a bit.</p><p>He jumped to his feet. “Is the baby coming?”</p><p>Senkuu had mentioned earlier that day that the baby could really come any day now, and it had made Taiju’s heart stop.</p><p>With a roll of his eyes Senkuu waved him off. “No- calm down. Just landed a solid kick to my diaphragm.” His hand roved over the expanse of his stomach in tight circles.</p><p>“Oh- she’s kicking?” Taiju asked, ignoring Senkuu’s glare as he sat down right beside him, studying his huge belly curiously. “I guess I kinda forgot they do that!”</p><p>“Oh how I envy your ignorance,” Senkuu muttered.</p><p>“How hard does she kick? Does she do it all the time? Does it hurt?”</p><p>He’d recently come to the decision that Senkuu’s baby was a girl. After explaining there was no way to know until they could actually <em>see</em> the kid, and after subsequently being harassed by Taiju until he gave in, Senkuu bet the opposite.</p><p>The scientist let out a shallow breath, reaching up to crack his neck with a grimace. “He’s very lively, which is a good sign, but that means he’s almost always moving around; usually he’s just twitchy, but sometimes- like just now- he straight up attacks my insides and knocks the wind right out of me.”</p><p>Awed, Taiju stared at his friend’s stomach again. He wasn’t sure what he was looking for, but his gaze was just drawn to it.</p><p>“Do you think I could…?” he trailed off, hand drifting forward slowly.</p><p>A loud, exasperated sigh. His hand was roughly grabbed and then carefully positioned on top of the bump.</p><p>Startled, Taiju almost pulled back, but then his hesitance was promptly forgotten as his curiosity grew. He leaned closer, barely hearing Senkuu’s amused huff by his ear.</p><p>His cold hand was immediately warmed by the radiant heat Senkuu was exuding, even through his prototype winter coat. With bated breath he moved his hand around, searching for any signs of movement, amazed at how hard the dome was, at how much it had grown since he’d broken free. How on earth could Senkuu’s body support such a big baby?</p><p>
  <em>Thump!</em>
</p><p>And there it was! It was weak, barely nudging at his palm, but it made Taiju freeze, gasping. It was such a foreign feeling! The movement was so random yet so independent, so intelligent. Feeling that little nudge solidified the existence of the living creature he had known was there but had never laid eyes on.</p><p>His eyes had gotten really wide, and when he finally blinked his vision was blurry. Taiju sniffled, a huge grin splitting his face. For some reason that tiny sensation had moved something inside of <em>him.</em></p><p>“That’s so…” <em>Cool</em> didn’t seem to cut it. “Extraordinary!”</p><p>Senkuu chuckled breathily. “Breaking out the vocab words, are we, Big Oaf?” But when Taiju met his eyes, there was a poorly-hidden softness in them. His smile was fond, proud.</p><p>However, once Taiju pulled his hand back, he thought he caught a glimpse of sadness on Senkuu’s face before it was quickly tucked away.</p><p>He wondered if Senkuu was upset that Gen wouldn’t be there- and that he didn’t know. Senkuu hadn’t known he was pregnant until after he’d broken free of petrification and he started feeling little movements and gaining weight, which meant his boyfriend was out there somewhere, waiting to be freed, and had no idea he was a father.</p><p>It made Taiju sad too. He knew Senkuu was grateful to have him around, but was sure he wanted the mentalist even more; he clearly missed him terribly. It should have been Gen’s hand touching his stomach, feeling the kicks of their child. It should have been Gen by his side, doing everything he could to ease his discomfort. Taiju was at a huge disadvantage because Senkuu didn’t like being touched- besides a few unusual circumstances, the only one Senkuu allowed to get touchy-feely with him was his boyfriend.</p><p>Gen could offer to rub his back or his feet, Gen could hold him close when the nights were long and miserable, Gen could hold his hand through the pain to come.</p><p>And because Senkuu wasn't comfortable with anything even close to that from his best friend, Taiju had to watch him suffer and know there was nothing he could do that would help. Being friends with Senkuu had always been a bit of a challenge for Taiju, who was a very physical person- his first impulse was to hug, to touch. Senkuu, meanwhile, hated having his personal space violated. Taiju didn't know how else to comfort his friend, and in the past always had to settle for being feverishly upbeat instead in the hopes that it would rub off on Senkuu.</p><p>Except that wouldn't work here: his overly positive attitude only served to annoy his pregnant friend more. And smiles couldn't make aches and pains go away.</p><p>Senkuu needed a kind touch, he needed near constant physical support, he needed emotional support... and the only person he would accept it from was a statue somewhere far away.</p><p>The bond between Senkuu and Gen was stronger than Taiju ever would have thought was possible for his logical friend, and it showed in how inseparable they were- day after day was spent with Gen trailing Senkuu as his taller, lankier shadow; with the two sitting side-by-side, chattering away; with them texting each other constantly when they were apart. It wasn’t possessiveness or obsession- they just enjoyed being around each other and having someone with enough wit to match their own. Even oblivious Taiju had known they’d end up together long before they’d officially done so.</p><p>And now they were having a baby, and only one of them was around to be happy about it. To be worried about it. To imagine the future with an extra person in it.</p><p>He wondered if they’d ever talked about having kids before all of this. They talked about anything and everything- and even though they were young, surely with Senkuu being a rarity, able to get pregnant, the topic had come up?</p><p>Had they seen eye to eye? Taiju knew Senkuu well enough to know that, despite his prickly exterior, he had a huge soft spot for children. Without hearing it explicitly he knew Senkuu wanted some of his own one day. What was Gen’s attitude about it?</p><p>Well, it didn’t matter what it was before this. When he broke free Taiju had no doubt the mentalist would be supportive. If nothing else he’d involve himself in the baby’s life simply because that baby was part of his beloved Senkuu-chan- although Taiju had the feeling that wouldn’t end up being the case. The mentalist could be hard to read, but Taiju had a feeling Gen would be thoroughly wrapped around his child’s finger.</p><p>He returned from visiting Yuzuriha that day to find Senkuu in The Nest again, cutting through deerskin. He’d taken up clumsily fashioning them all some winter clothes as well as some thicker blankets to wrap the baby in.</p><p>He was humming to himself, or maybe it was to the baby. Usually he didn’t do that around other people, but this time he continued even after Taiju plopped down beside him. His voice was surprisingly pleasant.</p><p>“What song is that?” Taiju asked curiously.</p><p>Ruby eyes met his, bloodshot and glazed. “I don’t know the name but Gen hums it all the time. Fucking annoying.”</p><p>He continued the melody quietly.</p><p>Taiju didn’t know what to say to that. He stayed silent.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Thanks for reading! :D See you next time!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. He couldn't argue</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Thanks, as always, for your support! &lt;3 You guys never fail to make me smile!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The leaves, dead and brown, were falling from the trees and there was a chill in the air. Winter would be arriving soon.</p><p>“I’m out of it and baby’s not breathing. What do you do?” Senkuu quizzed, cradling his bump and leaning against the wall.</p><p>Taiju replied without hesitation. “Stimulate breath and clear the airways if needed!”</p><p>He wasn’t a brainiac by any means, but when it came to important things like this he could force himself to have a fantastic memory. Senkuu tested him on this regularly as the final week loomed closer, and in the time in between Taiju would go through the information over and over again in his head, determined to memorize everything so he wouldn’t come up blank if the moment came when he needed to use it.</p><p>While Senkuu hadn’t seemed worried before, he was visibly encouraged by Taiju’s constant correct answers. He smiled tiredly, chuckling to himself.</p><p>“Right again. Not bad, Big Oaf.”<br/>
--</p><p>Six days into the fourth week, Taiju rose with the sun like he always did. Senkuu had started sleeping in later than him, so he got up without attempting to wake the pregnant scientist, stopping momentarily to pull Senkuu’s blanket up to his shoulders.</p><p>He made his usual rounds- first starting at the firepit, checking the progress on the wine, then moving on to the forest. It had taken him a while to memorize the route that hit all of the rope traps, but now he could walk it in his sleep. He checked each trap in turn, all of which were empty except for a single rabbit, which he quickly killed after thanking it for its generosity. Throwing it into his basket, he carried on, hoping he’d come across something more substantial for his friend to eat.</p><p>Finding nothing besides some mushrooms, he then moved on to the stream and filled his bottle with fresh water. Tiny minnows nibbled at his fingers and brought a smile to his face.</p><p>Judging from the sun’s position he still had some time before Senkuu would wake up, so he made his way down the most familiar path of all.</p><p>There were dead leaves caught in the divots of Yuzuriha’s hair; he brushed them away lovingly.</p><p>“Hi, Yuzuriha,” he greeted. “I hope you’re having good dreams.”</p><p>She didn’t reply.</p><p>He never really had much time to spend with her, but he tried to keep her up-to-date on everything that was going on even if she heard none of it.</p><p>“Not much is new since last time, but Senkuu did say the baby could come any day now… I’m nervous,” he admitted. “He could die. They both could.” Senkuu had been unfailingly honest about it, never one to sugarcoat.</p><p>It weighed on Taiju a lot. He’d adjusted pretty well to this world but times like this made him really miss the way things were.</p><p>Back in modern times, he’d have expected to be overwhelmingly excited for his friend upon finding out he’d gotten pregnant by someone he loved as fiercely as he did Gen. Those two had been dating for almost two years and obviously made each other happy, even if Senkuu didn't like to get sappy and say it out loud. It wasn't a matter of if they would last but rather when they'd step things up- and a baby was definitely a step up! It wasn't the most ideal timing but it was a great thing all the same; new additions were supposed to be joyous.</p><p>Taiju should have been thrilled for his best friend.</p><p>And he <em>was</em> thrilled. It was hard not to be!</p><p>But his joy was definitely muted, weighed down by his fears. His friend was pregnant, about to give birth, in the worst circumstances.</p><p>The deep fear of complications, the stress of knowing he was the only help Senkuu had, the fear of losing him…</p><p>Taiju never would have imagined it would be like <em>this.</em></p><p>His fist clenched where it rested against the tree’s massive trunk, inches from her head. He met her stone eyes imploringly.</p><p>Yuzuriha’s face hadn’t frozen in a look of terror like a lot of the statues he’d seen. Her lips were almost quirked in a smile, and looking at her now, she seemed to be saying, “It’s okay, you’ve got this! I believe in you!”</p><p>And really, he couldn’t argue with that kind of encouragement. A grin spread across his face and he pumped his fist in determination, shaking the bad thoughts away. He’d never liked being mopey.</p><p>“You’re right as always, Yuzu! I’ve got this!”</p><p>It was probably at least half an hour before he had to leave her again, but it felt like it had only been a few minutes. He’d found a lingering wildflower and had rested it on her hand, promising to come back later. She smiled still, wishing him a silent, cheery goodbye.</p><p>Taiju was in a better mood when he returned to the clearing even if he was virtually empty-handed.</p><p>
  <em>It’s alright, I’ll try to hunt something after I help him down.</em>
</p><p>“Senkuu!” he called, hauling himself up onto the platform. His tunic got caught on the wooden planks and almost tore and he had to take a few moments to free himself without damaging it. “Are you awake?”</p><p>There was no answer from inside. Taiju got to his feet and crept in, pulling the curtain closed behind him.</p><p>“Senkuu…?”</p><p>The pile of blankets shifted a little before Senkuu propped himself up on one arm; his tunic was in disarray and his hair was tangled, brought down by what Taiju assumed was the generous amount of sweat covering his whole body. He was panting heavily, free arm clutching his stomach, his face pulled in a pained expression.</p><p>“Senkuu!”</p><p>Alarmed, Taiju was across the room in seconds, kneeling at his side, hands hovering over him unsurely.</p><p>It took a long time for Senkuu to respond; he stayed tensed up for a while before suddenly releasing, letting out a loud breath, head lolling exhaustedly. He cracked an eye open.</p><p>“Grab the supplies.”</p><p>Taiju froze and Senkuu smirked weakly.</p><p>“Time to put you to the test.”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. The throes of labor</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>For someone who couldn’t lift something heavy without screaming, Senkuu was surprisingly quiet in the throes of labor.</p>
<p>Apparently the pain had started during the night, starting out as small cramps throughout his core every once in a while, similar to the false contractions he’d been experiencing for weeks. It had been mild enough that he could pretty much ignore it; he’d tried to get as much sleep as he could between them before things got dicey. Only after Taiju had been gone for a while did it progress to the point where the pain forced him to react.</p>
<p>Now with each contraction he tensed up considerably; his face twisted up and it was very obvious just how much it hurt. Sometimes he clutched at the material of his blanket or doubled over, making a breathless kind of sound, and sometimes he leaned back and bared his teeth and growled. His water eventually broke, bringing more pain with each contraction, but still he never raised his voice.</p>
<p>On and on it went, every ten minutes, then every nine, and so on, lasting late into the morning and then into the afternoon.</p>
<p>By the time Senkuu dazedly informed him that it was 4:45pm, the scientist was on his hands and knees on a single blanket in the middle of the room, back bowing upwards as he fought the impulse to curl.</p>
<p>He’d started pushing ten minutes ago.</p>
<p>Taiju didn’t know why his friend refused to let himself scream, but the noises he made were raw and painful sounding and full of restraint, escaping from his tightly clenched jaw in bursts.</p>
<p>This whole time Taiju had done everything Senkuu asked without hesitation, from fetching more drinking water to helping him walk around the room to rambling about anything and everything in the hopes of providing a distraction. Anything he could do to be helpful, he did in a heartbeat, as fast as humanly possible. Besides those tasks he stayed by Senkuu’s side the whole day, pushing off his other duties for later.</p>
<p>He could tell Senkuu was reaching his limit as the hours passed, and his nervousness was growing as he watched his friend brace again, the pains almost on top of each other now. Senkuu barely seemed able to catch his breath. His face was flushed and coated with sweat, his hair hanging down to hide it from view when he ducked his head.</p>
<p>“Should it be taking this long?” Taiju asked, crouched right next to him, hiding his worry behind the calmness he’d promised to have. His hand hovered uselessly in the air; Senkuu hated being touched as a general rule, but now was even more annoyed by it- anytime Taiju instinctively put a comforting hand on his shoulder, the scientist shrugged it off immediately with various degrees of violence depending on whether he was mid-push or taking a moment to rest.</p>
<p>Senkuu groaned, hips swaying to the side as if his legs were about to give way. A dribble of blood cascaded down. “All in due time,” he replied hoarsely. “Nothing to worry about yet.”</p>
<p>“She’s not stuck or something?”</p>
<p>“Likely not. We’ll find out soon.”</p>
<p>He was panting nonstop, ribcage struggling; sometimes he seemed to get really dizzy, and only then could Taiju touch him in order to keep him upright.</p>
<p>The sun was getting low in the sky and, despite spending the entire day being as helpful as possible, Taiju had never felt so useless. There really was nothing he could do besides watch and worry.</p>
<p>Senkuu suddenly made a choked sound and bore down harder than all the times before, the guttural sound opening into a quiet cry as his fists clenched. When the contraction ended he blindly grabbed at Taiju’s arm, pulling him to kneel in front of him and then rising up onto his knees so they were face-to-face. Taiju was oddly relieved when Senkuu grabbed onto the front of his tunic, glad to be put to more tangible use. His hands automatically went to Senkuu’s sides to provide support, and Senkuu didn’t push them away.</p>
<p>It eased some of his worry, able to <em>finally</em> help the way he knew best.</p>
<p>His friend leaned heavily on him as the pain continued, at some point coming to rest his forehead against his chest. He was extremely warm to the touch and Taiju was starting to get overheated from the contact, but the last thing on his mind was complaining or pulling away.</p>
<p>Senkuu’s stance widened and he let out another short cry, control seeming to slip.</p>
<p>“Everything okay?”</p>
<p>Between heavy breaths he mumbled, “Ten billion percent.”</p>
<p>He was the picture of exhaustion, barely able to stay balanced without Taiju there as an anchor. His whole body was trembling.</p>
<p>“Won’t be long now,” the scientist declared quietly after another long contraction, voice thick with agony. The pain hit again, making him crumple with a choked sound, and Taiju caught him under the arms and held him up. Senkuu’s fingers dug into his arm, grip tightening until his nails left jagged marks.</p>
<p>It took no more than five minutes of this for something to change- Senkuu bore down and, instead of grabbing Taiju, immediately let go and reached down, eyes wide. The uneven hem of his long gown was lifted slightly, then Senkuu paused, inhaling deeply, and then he pushed again. Taiju watched in alarm as tears were forced from his friend’s eyes.</p>
<p>“Get the blanket ready,” Senkuu said tightly, pulling away from Taiju entirely to stand independently on his knees, legs spread widely apart.</p>
<p>Taiju did as told, bringing the thin piece of deerskin closer. He was instructed to lay it over his upturned palms.</p>
<p>Senkuu curled over, one arm braced around his stomach while the other grasped at his skirt.</p>
<p>And then, just like that, with a loud, uninhibited scream Senkuu bore down one last time, hands darting between his legs, past the fabric of his clothes and then quickly reemerging, dragging a small, bloody newborn under the arms.</p>
<p>It took all of Taiju’s self control not to shout at that moment, but all the same he couldn’t keep himself from staring, jaw hitting the floor.</p>
<p>
  <em>That’s a baby. He just had a baby. There’s a BABY.</em>
</p>
<p>He almost forgot his task, but one glance from his exhausted friend and he was rushing forward with the blanket.</p>
<p>Senkuu plopped the infant into his hands without ceremony. Taiju, working on an impulse he didn’t know he had, immediately got a secure grasp of the little one, lowering himself to loosen the pull on the fleshy cord that still connected them. Senkuu sank to the floor and then leaned back against the huge blanket pile, legs splayed haphazardly, looking lightheaded, straining to catch his breath. His hand was blindly groping at the basket, searching out the strings and the blade Taiju had dipped in boiling water. The scientist had said that, if he was in the shape to do so, he would handle cutting the cord.</p>
<p>In the meantime Taiju was entrusted with the delicate, <em>tiny</em> baby girl who had yet to make a sound. At first he focused on wiping the blood and fluid from her, but the seconds stretched on and she still didn’t take her first breath.</p>
<p><em>Stimulate breathing,</em> his mind quickly supplied, and Taiju got to work just as he’d mentally practiced, rubbing at the baby’s slimy torso vigorously.</p>
<p>Dregs of panic were starting to flow in as the baby continued to stay silent and still, skin an unnerving gray color, but Taiju forced the fear back and focused on the movements of his hands as they rubbed up and down her back and chest. His ministrations got faster as the seconds ticked by, feeling like small eternities.</p>
<p>He vaguely registered that Senkuu had finished cutting the cord.</p>
<p>
  <em>Please breathe please breathe please breathe-</em>
</p>
<p>It wasn’t working.</p>
<p>
  <em>Clear the airways.</em>
</p>
<p>Working on autopilot, Taiju tried his best to clear the fluid and mucous from her mouth, then continued to rub at her back.</p>
<p>“C’mon, please-” he begged under his breath, wondering if he was doing something wrong.</p>
<p>Senkuu wasn’t stopping him, he reminded himself. Senkuu was leaned forward just inches away, hovering over and watching the baby intently. His face was even but anxiety lined every inch of his body. If Taiju was doing it wrong, Senkuu would have stepped in.</p>
<p>Suddenly her little limbs started weakly moving, uncoordinated and slow. As they watched, her skin grew rosier and her motions grew more energetic.</p>
<p>And finally, <em>finally,</em> she spluttered and then let out a piercing, angry cry.</p>
<p>Taiju stopped short, head spinning.</p>
<p>
  <em>Oh my god! She’s- she’s okay! She’s alive!</em>
</p>
<p>The teen grinned broadly, tears in his eyes, and wrapped the blanket around the newborn, feeling a bit dizzy. He quickly cradled her close to his chest, bouncing her gently in the hopes of calming her down. He’d never held a baby before but it was easy. It felt right.</p>
<p>The baby’s cry faded out, then she sucked in a huge breath and <em>screamed.</em></p>
<p>“What a promising set of lungs,” Senkuu said, eyes unmistakably shining.</p>
<p>After the baby had started crying, he'd gracelessly fallen back to recline against the pile of blankets with a nearly hysterical cackle. He seemed to have gathered his bearings a bit more, no longer trembling as badly, a small smirk tugging at his mouth.</p>
<p>The scientist had been right- the amount of blood on his legs and staining his gown was scary. The way he sat exposed more of his upper thighs and revealed a lot more blood than Taiju had been able to see when he was upright, and Taiju got the feeling that Senkuu had stayed covered specifically to hide that from his best friend’s view; seeing <em>that much</em> blood might’ve been his undoing.</p>
<p>Could someone lose that much without being in danger? How much was too much?</p>
<p>However, looking him over, Taiju didn’t see any of the more telling signs of shock that Senkuu had warned him about- his face was flushed and he was, despite his exhaustion, alert.</p>
<p>“Are you okay, Senkuu?” he asked worriedly.</p>
<p>His friend chuckled hoarsely, giving a weak thumbs-up. “Twelve billion percent.”</p>
<p>“You’re not bleeding out?”</p>
<p>"Ooh?" he drawled with a blink. "Good question." Senkuu took a moment to lift his skirt and examine himself and the small pool of blood beneath him. After a few moments he dropped it and shook his head. “I don’t think so. Looks to be less than five hundred milliliters and it’s slowed down. If I get all cold and clammy, <em>then</em> it’s time to be concerned.”</p>
<p>The baby let out another sorrowful wail, recapturing Senkuu's attention; Taiju could almost envision his ears perking up like a dog's. Taiju brought her closer and the scientist stared at her, barely hiding his awe. Without a word he reached out for her.</p>
<p>Ironically enough, Senkuu had a harder time figuring out how to hold his own child than Taiju had. His movements were stiff and awkward as he tried to position his arms correctly, and Taiju had to wait a few extra seconds before he could confidently release her full weight to him.</p>
<p>Once that fussing baby touched his chest, though, Senkuu <em>melted.</em></p>
<p>All pretense fell away; his eyes sparkled until some of that sparkle escaped and fell down his cheeks, his lips trembled, his face flushed even more. He didn’t say anything, focused intently on that little face like she was his entire world. Trembling fingers brushed over black locks plastered firmly to his daughter’s head, then came down to trace the jagged scar connecting her eyes over the bridge of her nose.</p>
<p>Taiju bit his lip to keep from making any noise as he watched the small family bond. The baby had still been weeping when she was put in Senkuu’s arms, but as soon as they made contact she started to calm down, cries tapering to small grunts, her flailing limbs coming to a rest. Her expression smoothed and then her eyelids parted slightly, slowly opening all the way until she was staring inquisitively up at him.</p>
<p>“Well hello to you too,” Senkuu murmured with a watery smile, bringing his arms up so he could rest his forehead against his daughter’s. “You kept me waiting for quite a while.”</p>
<p>Their noses were very similar, Taiju noticed.</p>
<p>The baby yawned and Senkuu lowered her just a bit and pressed his lips to her temple, closing his eyes. He seemed to be collecting himself, exhaling a quiet sigh of relief and inhaling the scent of his child. <em>I’m so glad you’re okay,</em> he seemed to be saying.</p>
<p>It was such an intimate moment that Taiju felt compelled to look away, rubbing his fingers together to try and dislodge some of the dried fluid on them. He wondered if he should leave and give them some time alone.</p>
<p>“Taiju.”</p>
<p>Surprised, he turned back to the source of the quiet voice. Senkuu was smiling at him, even if his lips were still hidden from sight by the baby’s head. His eyes were all crinkled up in a genuine way that Taiju had only ever seen maybe twice from his friend- there was a deep fondness, a deep gratitude, that he wasn’t bothering to hide.</p>
<p>“You did well.” <em>Thank you.</em></p>
<p>Taiju stared at him, astonished. “I didn’t do much,” he protested, “I couldn’t help all that much… you did it all by yourself.”</p>
<p>It had definitely given him a new sense of respect for his friend; he might not have been physically strong, but he certainly had his own brand of strength.</p>
<p>Senkuu huffed. “You got her to <em>breathe,</em> Big Oaf. You handled it all on your own. Not to mention your stellar bedside manner.”</p>
<p>Unused to the blatant praise from the person who never talked fluffy stuff, Taiju flushed with pride, his heart soaring. He felt like he’d just accomplished the most important thing he’d ever done, and it made a powerful happiness bubble up in his chest, making him feel lighter. The baby was okay, the baby had <em>survived,</em> because of him. How many people as blockheaded as him could say that?</p>
<p>Choked up, he exclaimed, “Thanks, Senkuu! You can <em>always</em> count on me!”</p>
<p>Another huff, Senkuu’s expression incredibly soft.</p>
<p>“I know.”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>In which Taiju-kun saves the day because he is the goodest boi.</p>
<p>Baby's here! Thanks for all the name recs- for some reason star/space-themed names hadn't even crossed my mind, but I love that idea a lot! Thanks to you guys steering me I was able to find a name I think works really well. :)</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Beautiful</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>LORDY this took forever! My laptop died so I had to find a new one. Thanks for your patience! </p><p>TBAP will be updated soon as well!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>By the time the sun was dipping below the horizon, they’d dealt with the afterbirth and Senkuu had successfully gotten the still-unnamed baby to nurse. That had been uncomfortable at first because Senkuu, without warning Taiju or telling him to look away, had dropped his tunic from one shoulder the moment she started fussing and rooting, immediately getting to work on setting her to latch. Taiju had looked away, face burning, making Senkuu scoff.</p><p>She nursed for a long time and then fell asleep. At Senkuu’s instruction, Taiju fetched some warm water and poured it into a bowl.</p><p>Senkuu, increasingly drowsy and sore, sat up with a wince and rocked the infant when she grunted in her sleep. He leaned over and grabbed a blanket from the pile, dipping the corner in the bowl and looking over his daughter analytically, then came to a conclusion, dropping the blanket and shifting his arms, beckoning Taiju closer.</p><p>“Hold.”</p><p>The child was placed in his arms and Taiju quickly adjusted his hold, spluttering. The baby’s eyes peeled open sleepily and she stared up at him.</p><p>While Senkuu got to work wiping the grime from his newborn, Taiju took the opportunity to get a closer look at her- the last time he’d been too busy trying to revive her to really take in her appearance.</p><p>Her face was chubby, her hair dark and thick, her lips thin. She had a button nose and faint eyebrows furrowed in an almost comical look of confusion.</p><p>In the fading natural light it was immediately obvious whose eyes she’d inherited- they were slimmer, more rounded, and slate gray.</p><p>“She’s beautiful,” Taiju said. “The cutest baby I’ve ever seen!”</p><p>“For once your hyperbole is ten billion percent correct,” Senkuu replied with a tired smirk, tracing a cloth-covered finger over the shell of one tiny ear. The baby’s eyes drifted shut. “But of course I do all of that work just for her to not look one millimeter like me.”</p><p>“Her scar’s kind of like yours,” Taiju supplied, grasping at straws.</p><p>The scientist nodded distractedly, getting to work on the matted hair. “She was approximately twelve weeks gestation when we were petrified, and apparently our being physically connected was enough for my depetrification to spread to her, but not enough for her to have petrified as a part of my body- as evidenced by her having a scar at all.”</p><p>“Weird,” Taiju replied, getting the gist but not completely. “Will it cause problems for her eyes?”</p><p>“The scars typically aren’t very deep- ours don’t even go all the way through our eyelids. From what I can tell she should be fine, although I intend to monitor it.”</p><p>Taiju studied the scar again. It wasn’t a straight line, but more of an uneven W-shape, and the edges really looked like they were connected to the corner of each eye. He really hoped that wouldn’t affect her sight or be uncomfortable.</p><p>A peaceful lull overcame them; soon Senkuu had worked his way down to her tiny, nubby toes. There was a question Taiju was dying to ask, and for some reason now seemed like the perfect time.</p><p>“Do you have a name picked out yet?”</p><p>He was hesitant to bring it up since Senkuu hadn’t yet, figuring it could be a touchy subject since generally both parents were involved in the naming process, but not having a name to attach to the baby was uncomfortable. She was a tiny person, and every person needed a name.</p><p>Senkuu paused and dropped the cloth, finally done with his task, and his ruby eyes scanned over the baby’s face consideringly. Every time he did this, his expression would soften without fail, no matter how many times he already had. It was like every look at his daughter was his very first.</p><p>He ran his forefinger over the child’s face, mapping and measuring with a tiny smile pulling at his lips.</p><p>Finally he nodded.</p><p>“Cassiopeia.”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I love me a constellation name! &lt;3 Thanks again for the guidance, guys, I think this works best. I even have a cute story planned for where it comes from :)</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Fulfilling your role</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>For some reason Taiju had thought they would finally be able to get proper rest once Senkuu’s insides were no longer under constant assault. He’d figured his friend would finally get to sleep for longer than three hours at a time, and that he’d be more well-rested and energetic soon after.</p><p>He’d thought wrong.</p><p>Cassie cried a lot, as apparently new babies did. Most of her waking time was either spent eating or spent crying, which usually then led to eating. During the day this wasn’t so bad, since Taiju was often not within earshot, but at night it meant he was woken up every two hours or so when she needed to eat again and wanted everyone within a ten mile radius to know. Senkuu was always- somehow, despite his obvious exhaustion- quick to calm her down, murmuring to her as she nursed that they <em>really</em> didn’t need any extra attention from nearby predators.</p><p>Sometimes Taiju would sit up and keep his friend company while he fed her, but other times Senkuu would wave him off, tell him to go back to sleep, and so still other times Taiju wouldn’t move at all, pretending he had fallen back asleep. He usually couldn’t sleep for a while after being woken up each time, but he didn’t want Senkuu to feel bad for “keeping him up”.</p><p>It was frustrating sometimes, sure, but at the same time Taiju didn’t mind the disturbance enough to complain. He was a high school student with very little natural talent in his classes; he was no stranger to scraping by on six to four hours of sleep- and he’d take hanging out with his best friend over late-night studying any day.</p><p>Five days after Cassie’s birth, in the wee hours of the morning, Senkuu had gotten up to feed his baby and had gone quiet a while ago, with no sounds of getting settled back in to sleep.</p><p>Curious, Taiju peeked an eye open and waited for his vision to adjust to the darkness. Just a few feet away his friend was propped against the wall, slumped forward, out cold. His legs were curled up to brace some blankets under his arms, supporting his loose grip of his equally conked out baby, who was, as far as Taiju could tell, still attached.</p><p>Taiju sat up and crawled closer, carefully moving Senkuu’s arms out of the way and wedging his hands under his niece, slowly pulling her into his arms. She was solidly asleep and had no qualms about being moved, and with her settled against his chest Taiju used his free hand to pull Senkuu’s tunic back up to his shoulder, wondering how he’d been able to fall asleep while so exposed to the cold in the first place.</p><p>His friend, like the baby, was too deeply asleep to notice the movement.</p><p>Taiju then took the blankets and got them situated on the ground beside his bedding. After setting the baby safely on his own blanket, he carried Senkuu over, laying him on his back and propping him up a bit as had been his preference lately. Senkuu groaned a bit, starting to shiver, and Taiju hurried to situate Cassie on his chest, her usual sleeping place. Senkuu’s arms immediately came up to hold her close, and with her secured Taiju could pull the blankets up to cover them both. Senkuu’s face relaxed and he sighed contentedly.</p><p>With a small smile Taiju got back into bed.</p><p>He knew the peaceful expression on his friend’s face was only temporary, he knew the shadows under his eyes would only continue to get darker, he knew the whole cycle would start over again in just a few short hours, maybe sooner.</p><p>But for now, he was just happy he could help.<br/>
--</p><p>Senkuu waited a full week before leaving the treehouse with baby Cassie in tow; he’d used that time to recover and make sure he could closely monitor both of their conditions just in case there were any health complications on the tail end of the birth.</p><p>The morning of the seventh day, he declared that he and his daughter both seemed to be in good shape, to Taiju’s relief. Together they spent almost half an hour trying to figure out how to tie the baby to Senkuu’s front using the long strip of deerskin he’d set aside for that purpose, and finally, after plenty of trial and error and a few angry looks from the newborn, they were ready to go, with her securely attached to him and his over-large coat closed around her so only the top of her head was visible.</p><p>Taiju gave his friend a lift to the ground, and as soon as Senkuu was standing on his own he was making his way to the firepit, checking the distillation as though nothing had changed.</p><p>Their routine quickly got back to normal, and Taiju found it pretty funny that Senkuu even acted similarly to how he had when he was heavily pregnant; the habits were still there, just slightly changed. When he was standing he tended to put one hand on Cassie’s back and the other underneath her, and often when he spoke, his hand would automatically rub her back in small circles, just as he once had with his stomach. The hip-swaying had migrated upwards so he now rocked his shoulders minutely from side to side, especially when she got fussy.</p><p>As the weeks passed and their project came closer to completion, a new code of sorts arose. It was only one word, really, but it meant plenty of different things and it didn’t take Taiju long to learn how to differentiate them:</p><p>“Hold,” Senkuu said, undoing his coat and plopping the newborn in Taiju’s waiting arms. <em>I’m about to do something too dangerous for her.</em> He returned to his desk, poured some mystery fluid from one jar into another while covering his mouth and nose, and then came back and retrieved the fussing infant, resituating her on his chest. She immediately fell back asleep, her favorite pastime.</p><p>“Hold,” Senkuu requested later that night, removing the sleeping infant from his breast and handing her over. <em>I need a break.</em> Taiju remained in the treehouse while Senkuu climbed down, probably to take a walk or work on his sciency stuff without the extra weight he was constantly carrying around. Taiju passed the evening hours by talking to her, even though Cassie’s analytical gaze fixated on his face could get strangely unnerving. The eyes were Gen’s, but the intense stare was one hundred percent Senkuu’s.</p><p>“Hold,” Senkuu panted, transferring the baby to Taiju wearily. <em>I’m not feeling well enough.</em> That day was the first that Taiju carried Cassie around longer than Senkuu did, and by a wide margin at that. He quickly got used to the strange feeling of the cloth wrapped tightly around him, pinning the one-month-old to his chest.</p><p>Days like that weren’t uncommon; Taiju had noticed that, lately, his friend seemed to flag really easily. He hadn’t ever really gotten his pre-pregnancy stamina back, but it seemed like the more time passed, the slightest bit weaker he would get.</p><p>Senkuu eventually explained it to him, but by that point Taiju had figured it out on his own- the food they were able to scrounge together wasn’t enough. His body was struggling to provide for Cassie, let alone to maintain his own health.</p><p>That, of course, sent Taiju on a hunting and gathering frenzy, but to his great shame his basket was only slightly fuller than usual when he returned. The winter cold was brutal and there wasn’t much wildlife to speak of; there were deer, but Taiju didn’t have the speed or stealth to hunt them, even with Senkuu’s tools. The wild boars were difficult to track, harder to kill, and rare to come upon.</p><p>He tried giving most of his own rations to his friend, who would take half of what he offered but would insist that the brawn of the team needed fuel as well. With this small boost in Senkuu’s diet, the scientist reassured him that he would most likely be fine ‘til either spring came or they finished the nital etch and found someone else to help them.</p><p>Still, when they weren’t working on their demanding chore lists, Taiju found himself watching his friend with worry. On top of his low stamina, he looked pale. It was like a punch to the gut to realize that, despite everything he’d been doing, Taiju still wasn’t able to do enough. The challenges were just never ending.</p><p>They were sitting at the opening of the hut, legs hanging over the edge as they looked up into the night sky, clearer than Taiju had ever seen back in their day. There was a bite to the winter air that had him pulling his arms into the body of his coat; despite the late hour, Senkuu still had Cassie in the sling, the pair of them wrapped in his coat as well as a blanket.</p><p>Senkuu’s energy was drained, especially by this time of night, but when he stared up at the stars he seemed to come alive like nothing else. There was a sparkle in his eye that was like a reflection of the constellations themselves, some deep emotion he couldn’t keep restrained. Even if Taiju hadn’t known him since they were tiny, it would still be obvious just how much meaning the night sky held for his friend.</p><p>They sat in pleasant silence for a long time, probably over an hour. Everything was done for the day and they had no obligations left, and the peace that came with it was lulling. He probably could’ve started dozing off if not for his thoughts keeping him going.</p><p>Eventually he turned to Senkuu.</p><p>“I’m sorry I’m failing you guys.”</p><p><em>He needs me to do all of the strength stuff and I can’t even do</em> that <em>right!</em></p><p>Even though it had been a while since they’d discussed it, Senkuu didn’t ask what he was referring to.</p><p>“Don’t be an idiot,” Senkuu replied casually but with a hint of scolding, not looking away from the sky. “You’re fulfilling your role exactly as you should be.”</p><p>“But you’re starving to death and I-”</p><p>This time Senkuu did meet his eyes, fixing him with that same unnerving stare his daughter was already a master of. “Firstly, false. I’m likely anemic, but nowhere near starvation. As long as I can start eating better in the next few weeks we’ll be just peachy. Secondly, I never expected you to be able to do all of the hunting; you don’t have the skills yet and I don’t have the stamina. I knew we’d be scraping by.”</p><p>Taiju kind of felt like he should be insulted, but instead he was mostly relieved. Besides, he knew Senkuu wasn’t being mean- he just knew full well what Taiju’s strengths were and was being blunt.</p><p>
  <em>Still…</em>
</p><p>“I wish I could do more. You both need me to.”</p><p>“We need the job done- we don’t need it done by one specific person, Big Oaf. It’s why I’m trying to get this nital etch finished as quickly as possible; we need to find a hunter so you can focus on gathering.”</p><p>
  <em>A hunter…</em>
</p><p>A statue came to mind, hulking and intimidating even when crouching down.</p><p>
  <em>If we need someone stronger and faster than me, he’d be perfect for it!</em>
</p><p>Excited, Taiju said, “Hey, wait! I know exactly who we should start with!”</p><p>Senkuu quirked a brow, fingers roving through Cassie’s fuzzy hair. She was starting to stir and grunt, the time to feed her quickly getting closer. Once that happened they’d move inside and their stargazing would be done for the night.</p><p>“Ooh?” the scientist droned curiously.</p><p>“Yeah! I bumped into him when I first woke up.” Taiju paused for effect, then announced, “The Strongest Primate High Schooler: Shishiou Tsukasa!”</p><p>Honestly, it was a pretty solid idea, in Taiju’s opinion. He was expecting at least an acknowledgement of how observant he was- so he had no idea what to make of Senkuu’s reaction. His friend’s lips pulled into a tight smile and he let out a quiet chuckle as he looked away. He stared at the heavens as though consulting them.</p><p>“Perhaps we won’t have a choice, eh?” he murmured.</p><p>Slightly dismayed, Taiju asked, “Is… something wrong, Senkuu?”</p><p>His friend shook his head, arms tightening around his baby. “Not yet. A consideration for another time.” He pointed out into the distance suddenly, saying, “See that constellation there? That zigzag shape below Polaris?”</p><p>Taiju let the subject drop, looking for the constellation in question. Senkuu had shown him plenty of them back in their younger years, and while he could never remember their names it was pretty easy for him to pick out which ones were grouped together to form their shapes. He found the familiar W-shape quickly. “Yup! What’s its name?”</p><p>Senkuu cackled, ashen face alight with a fond kind of humor, and instead of answering, he ducked his head down and spoke quietly to Cassie. “That’s your namesake, little one.”</p><p>“Whoa! It’s called Cassiopeia?” Taiju was proud that, this time, he could say his niece's full name without stuttering. It had taken quite a bit of practice for it to roll off his tongue so well.</p><p>“Yes.”</p><p>
  <em>Well I’m definitely gonna remember its name now.</em>
</p><p>And then, realizing the constellation had looked familiar for more reasons than one, he said, “Wait... so you named her just because of the shape of her scar?”</p><p>Senkuu shook his head once more, closing his eyes with a tiny, wistful smile. “Not entirely. It was on the list long before she was born- the scar just decided it.”</p><p>Taiju laughed. “You and your space stuff! I shoulda guessed.”</p><p>The pleasant atmosphere was back, and they wallowed in it for a while longer before Cassie finally broke her fussy silence and let out a mournful wail. They gave one last admiring glance to the sky before heading in for the night.<br/>
--</p><p>Despite how laidback he seemed on the surface, Senkuu was very protective of his baby; when they were out of the hut Cassie never left her sling, no matter which of them was wearing it. Senkuu insisted on this to ensure that, if any threats came their way, she was in the safest place and they could make a break for the ladder as quickly as possible.</p><p>As the weeks passed and she continued to grow (a gradual yet fast process that had Taiju occasionally doing a double-take when he realized she’d gotten longer and fatter <em>again,</em> somehow), Cassie started voicing gurgled complaints when she wanted to leave the restrictions of the sling and move around, limited though her mobility was. Senkuu would simply keep her in place and promise her that, come spring, it would be warm enough that they wouldn’t need the coats anymore <em>and</em> she would be old enough to support her own head, meaning conditions would be perfect for her to start facing forward in the sling. That, he promised, would be exhilarating.</p><p>Taiju had noticed that, slowly, her cries were becoming less about being hungry or uncomfortable. She cried when she was scared, she cried when she was overstimulated, she cried for reasons even Senkuu couldn’t seem to decipher.</p><p>Sometimes, rare though it was, the only thing that could soothe her was being handed to Taiju. He just needed to hold her close and bounce her a bit, mumble a bunch of comforting nonsense, and she would calm down almost immediately.</p><p>It felt nice, honestly, that she trusted him enough to even prefer him over her own mother at times. He’d almost been worried Senkuu would be mad at him for it, as dumb as that was.</p><p>When she was three months old she started smiling and laughing, and Taiju noticed that lots of it was reserved for him. Senkuu made sure to play with her as often as he could, and she smiled her huge, heart-melting smile at him a lot and cooed in the cutest way ever, but her favorite person to <em>laugh</em> at was Taiju.</p><p>All of this led him to realize something that made his heart stop, made him freeze right as he was about to accept the baby from Senkuu, who was working with hazardous materials again and needed a babysitter.</p><p>“Senkuu…” he said with a horrified gasp, “does she think I’m her dad?”</p><p>The scientist seemed entirely caught off guard by the question, looking at Taiju like he just couldn’t understand how his brain worked, with poor, confused Cassie still extended towards Taiju even though he had made no move to take her yet.</p><p>“What?” Senkuu asked almost incredulously, then jerked his head as though dismissing the feeling. “Yeah, probably. It’s fine. Take her.”</p><p>Taiju was still frozen in place. “But that’s Gen! She shouldn’t get so attached to me- I’m not her dad!”</p><p>Looking increasingly irritated at the resistance, Senkuu snapped, “Dude, it’s fine. Take her. I need to get back to work- this is time-sensitive.”</p><p>But Taiju just couldn’t bring himself to do it; if she got attached to him, thinking he was her father, what would happen when they revived Gen and he took over the role? Would she be heartbroken? And what kinds of problems could this cause for their friendship? Would Gen be jealous that someone else had taken his spot and bonded with his daughter in his place?</p><p>Seeming to sense this, Senkuu’s ire cooled a bit and he closed the distance between them with a few deliberate steps until he was holding the baby right in front of Taiju’s chest. She gurgled, staring up at him with her gray eyes.</p><p>“She’s still too young,” Senkuu said firmly, staring into his eyes just as intensely. “It doesn’t matter right now what she thinks you are- what matters is that she <em>needs</em> someone to fill that role, whether it’s her father or her Uncle Taiju. She needs you.”</p><p>Taiju mulled that over, touched but hesitant. “You're sure?”</p><p>His friend rolled his eyes and pressed Cassie against Taiju’s chest urgently. “Yes, Big Oaf, now just trust me and hold your damn niece already.”</p><p>And, ultimately, Taiju could never say no to that. Trusting his best friend as always, he accepted the precious cargo and allowed Senkuu to tie her to him. His friend then took off like a shot towards the lab, leaving the duo to the staring contest they were suddenly holding. </p><p>Cassie studied him with startling seriousness, then started giggling. It was by far Taiju's favorite sound ever, breaking him out of the funk he'd been in, and with a laugh he lifted her up and kissed her precious face, making her giggles evolve into an equally raucous laughter.</p><p>He was deeply glad he could continue to help take care of her without guilt. Who was he kidding? He couldn't have been unattached- he already loved her too much.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I'm back! All of my classes have been moved online for quarantine purposes, so it's gonna be crunch time for me for a while. We'll see how my schedule plays out.</p><p>Anyway, this story will get time-skippy fairly often; if a canon moment is skipped over in this, assume that it happened exactly the same as, or very similarly to, how it appears in the anime. </p><p>Also! Guess what! Crunchyroll is screwing me over right now so I don't have access to the anime :D I wanted to go through and rewatch the scenes to make sure I was portraying them as accurately as possible in this, but that's not happening now, so please forgive me if I get details wrong or forget a scene- I'm working with badly-edited clips off of Youtube to remember what happened. Just let me know if anything is glaringly, unintentionally wrong!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. An emotional fool</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Online classes that were never meant to be online are the DEVIL. You'd think being home more often would give me more time to write, but my professors are determined to make sure I know that these classes will NOT be easy just cuz they're online now. -_-  May cannot come fast enough.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Senkuu climbed up to the treehouse and let out a relieved sigh as he pulled Cassie from the sling, releasing some of the trapped body heat between them. As the weather grew warmer with each passing day, it was getting less and less comfortable to have a giant heat pack strapped to his chest- not to mention how heavy she was getting. He now often found himself a sweaty mess after as little as two hours of carrying her around.</p><p>“Okay, time to stretch our legs,” he explained, lowering her onto her favorite blanket on the floor. It was his habit to talk to her as much as possible in the hopes of giving her a solid vocabulary base, and often this meant describing what he was doing or holding one-sided conversations. It was easy to forget that he was essentially talking to himself, though, when she was so eager to listen.</p><p>She loved lying on her stomach now, and when he got her situated she immediately squealed with delight and craned her neck to look up at him with a big, gummy smile.</p><p>
  <em>God, what’ve I gotten myself into?</em>
</p><p>He smiled back at her, lowering himself to lie on his stomach in front of her, propping his chin on his hands. “I heard you working on your velar stops earlier- can you do it again?”</p><p>His daughter was absolutely fascinating. He’d read a bit on infant development a long time ago and was by no means an expert, but he did know that she was definitely on the developmental fast track- already she was exploring speech sounds, something he hadn’t been expecting for at least another month, possibly two. He’d been chipping a thin piece of stone from one of the swallow statues when the four-month-old interrupted his narration with an eager <em>ga-ga-ga!,</em> followed by a lot of jovial spitting.</p><p>Cassie smacked the floor with clumsy hands, feet kicking the air. “<em>Ah!”</em></p><p>“Ah,” he repeated with amusement. “You’re very smart. I get the feeling you’ll be keeping up with me in conversations before you even learn to walk.”</p><p>“Ah!”</p><p>“Really?”</p><p>“Gah!”</p><p>He reached out and tickled her chubby chin. “You don’t say?”</p><p>She giggled and blew a raspberry at him, which he promptly did back, making her laugh harder and her face turn beet red. For some reason it was immensely satisfying to make her laugh so hard even though it was incredibly easy to do.</p><p>Their very deep conversation continued for almost half an hour before Cassie finally grew bored and rolled onto her back in order to play with her toes, a more recent discovery of hers. Senkuu took advantage of the distraction to gather up and eat what little meat was left from the small doe they’d been fortunate to catch that morning; with the warmer weather came the vegetation they could use as bait for the rope traps.</p><p>He was still hungry when it was gone, but it was a familiar ache that he’d grown used to ignoring- it certainly wasn’t as bad now as it had been during the winter months, when they’d had next to nothing.</p><p>The sun was beginning to set. Taiju was probably on his way back from visiting Yuzuriha by now.</p><p>“Uncle Taiju will be back soon,” Senkuu informed his daughter, who cooed around a mouthful of foot in reply. “Let’s try not puking on him this time, ‘kay? I’d rather not clean that up twice in one day.”</p><p>Cassie smiled innocently. Her foot popped out of her mouth and she said loudly, “Gah!”</p><p>“You say that now, but we both know you’ve got quite an extensive record.”</p><p>As she wiggled around he noticed that her little dress was getting a bit tight around her shoulders again, making him sigh in exasperation. He had to make alterations every two or three weeks by this point and <em>still</em> she insisted on growing like a weed- at this rate she’d start outgrowing it every week!</p><p>He gently pulled her into his lap and examined the simple garment, noting that there was little left to work with; the dress that had once been fastened in several places to hold the swaths of excess material in place was now stretched to its limit and worn out. A new one would have to be made.</p><p>It made an oddly sentimental part of him sad- this dress was her very first and only garment in this world, keeping her warm since the day she was born. It wasn’t well-made by any means- was quite possibly the ugliest baby dress he’d ever seen- but he had made it for her and it had served its purpose well. He didn't want to get rid of it.</p><p>He shook his head. <em>What the hell? It’s a scrap of deerskin; replace it and let it go.</em></p><p>Still, even though he threw himself into feeding her and talking to her and getting her ready for bed, it continued to bother him.</p><p>
  <em>… Maybe giving birth really has changed my brain.</em>
</p><p>It had made him slightly forgetful at times, had attuned him completely to the needs and mannerisms of his tiny creation unlike anything he’d experienced before, and now, it seemed, it had taken his emotions, made malleable by the life-changing experience of bringing a life into the world, and had sculpted them into something mostly similar to what they had been before, but with a marked difference that only made itself known in situations like this. He had never been overly sentimental- not to the point of keeping things like clothes, anyway, things that only took up space once they were out of use. No matter what memories an item of clothing held, it was disposed of as soon as he’d destroyed or outgrown it.</p><p>As he rocked his baby and hummed her favorite song, nodding a greeting to Taiju who was twenty minutes late but smiling happily, he finally had to admit to himself that this, apparently, was how his mind would be working from now on; it was best to just accept it and move on.</p><p>Still, his mood was unexplainably sour as he laid back in bed with Cassie asleep on his chest. He could try and convince himself all he wanted, but in the end he was still left with the feeling that he shouldn't be this way.</p><p>It was uncomfortable.</p><p>It was jarring.</p><p>He huffed frustratedly, pulling her blanket closer with his foot and situating it next to his bedding. He laid her on it slowly and carefully, then covered her with another. It wasn’t her preferred way to sleep, but her blanket was soft and fluffy- she’d be fine for a night.</p><p>Free to move, he went to sit on the edge of the platform overlooking the clearing; Taiju perked up as he passed by and Senkuu knew his best friend would be watching over Cassie like a hawk until he returned to her side.</p><p>The stars were hidden behind thick clouds that promised rain soon- only a sliver of moonlight broke through, making visibility low. The view here wasn’t much good tonight, but he did appreciate the cool breeze stirring his clothes and weaving through his hair.</p><p>He sighed.</p><p>
  <em>I’m not supposed to be the sentimental one.</em>
</p><p>That role was reserved.</p><p>That role, no matter what Taiju could do, was <em>empty.</em></p><p>Senkuu wasn’t one to wallow in self-pity, nor was he one to contemplate what-ifs. Both of them were pointless; both of them hindered progress.</p><p>But now, as he closed his eyes, he could see it clearly, as if it were a memory:</p><p>
  <em>Gray eyes alight with affection as they regarded some tiny outfit, probably pink and covered in frills because Gen had a thing for flashy clothes.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“We can’t just get rid of it!” Gen, sounding scandalized. “Look at how adorable it is! And I picked it out for her… remember, she wore it on the day we brought her home? Why not save it?”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Senkuu, the rational one, pointing out: “Save it for what? It doesn’t fit her. All it’d do is take up space.”</em>
</p><p>Gen’s response would either be <em>“What if she wants it for her own kid someday?”</em> or, slyly, because he was a bastard, <em>“What if we have another kid?”</em></p><p>Senkuu wasn’t sure how he’d react to the latter, but liked to think he’d keep his cool.</p><p>
  <em>Gen holding their daughter, his miniature clone, their identical eyes staring at Senkuu pleadingly.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Senkuu, knowing he was losing, asking, “Why do you care so much?”</em>
</p><p>“Why do I care so much?”</p><p>Seriously, scout’s honor, he hadn’t meant to say that out loud.</p><p>Taiju quietly replied, “Why’s caring a bad thing?”</p><p>“It’s not <em>bad…”</em></p><p>Opening his eyes, having that image dissipate, felt like he’d lost something.</p><p><em>That’s what I get for fantasizing- what is</em> wrong <em>with me today?</em></p><p>It only strengthened his feeling of being irrevocably changed, but whereas being sentimental was a bit of a gray area, this definitely felt like a negative change. Dwelling on what could have been was <em>not</em> his modus operandi.</p><p>Taiju didn’t move but to tilt his head appraisingly, more serious than usual. “Why are you upset?”</p><p>Honestly? “I don’t know.”</p><p>His friend didn’t say anything for a while and Senkuu turned back to the expanse of grass below, trying to sort through the roiling sea of emotions that was turning his stomach and making his head pound. None of it made sense. He didn’t understand what the root cause was, why this was hitting him so suddenly, what could be done to make all of it go away…</p><p>“Want me to guess?”</p><p>“... go for it.”</p><p>He swore he could feel Taiju’s gaze roving over him, analyzing and gathering data and finally coming to a conclusion:</p><p>“I think you miss him.”</p><p>Senkuu’s stomach twisted painfully and he had to clench his jaw and close his eyes. <em>There’s no way it’s that simple. My head is ten billion kinds of fucked up right now and there’s just no way the common denominator to all of it is something so</em> simple.</p><p>
  <em>Even if it is true.</em>
</p><p>Raising their daughter without his complement was difficult- Taiju was doing a stellar job as his co-parent, but it would never fill the void that was left by his mentalist; there were some domains the big oaf simply couldn’t enter. Cassie, so far, wasn’t suffering for it, but Senkuu was feeling it. There was a glaringly empty space where a boyfriend was meant to be.</p><p>Of course he missed Gen. He missed the conversations they used to have, he missed the mentalist’s stupid tricks that he loved to show off, he missed his random non-sequitur texts at four in the morning…</p><p>But most of all, surprisingly, he missed Gen's touch.</p><p>Senkuu <em>hated</em> being touched by other people. He tolerated it from his dad, he didn’t completely despise it coming from his friends, but it still made his skin crawl regardless. The invasion of his personal space felt like a violation, and he went to great lengths to avoid it.</p><p>It had started out that way when Gen touched him too- he ducked away, dodged, would do a whole dance routine to escape if need be. He hadn’t trusted how touchy-feely the guy was.</p><p>But then, over time, the sneaky rat had all but desensitized him to it. And when they were alone he rather enjoyed the little moments of contact they shared, from bumping shoulders to, when he was feeling unusually generous, an actual embrace. Even then he’d still roll his eyes as Gen played with his bangs or poked at his arm or leaned on his shoulder.</p><p>Now, going so long without, he realized that not only did he not hate it, he actually missed it painfully.</p><p>He missed <em>Gen</em> painfully.</p><p>
  <em>It feels as though I’ve changed something fundamental about myself in order to replace him. That’s why I’m suddenly so angry at myself.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>I’m an emotional fool.</em>
</p><p>Feeling like an idiot, he stood with a wince and made his way back to bed. On the way he leaned down and bumped fists with Taiju as a silent show of thanks, ignoring the way his friend’s worried gaze stayed on him still.</p><p>He laid down beside his daughter and rolled to face her, eyes roving over that little profile. He’d noticed that he almost always had an impulse to be in some form of contact with his baby, and now was no different as he gave in and laid a hand on her chest, watching its steady rise and fall. Cassie smacked her lips and cooed happily in her sleep as though welcoming him back.</p><p>
  <em>Sorry, kiddo. I’m here.</em>
</p><p>He needed to let it go; he could live with being the sappy one, but getting angry and depressed about how much it reminded him of Gen would only get in the way of everything Senkuu needed to do- the nital etch would be complete in less than a month, and then the real challenges would begin. He had just enough data to predict that their only viable option could very well lead to dangerous territory and, while he didn't like any of them, he had several plans in the works on how to... handle it. He needed to be at the top of his game or they could lose everything. </p><p>But these feelings, stirred up by the tiniest of stimuli, were too raw to simply slap a bandaid on; it was an ugly, festering wound that needed to be debrided before it could start oozing shut.</p><p>So, for the first time in months, he allowed himself to truly feel the pain. Setting a mental timer for two minutes, he eased open the floodgates and allowed the misery, the loss, the loneliness, the anxiety- all of it- to rush up around him, all while keeping a grounding hand on the baby and his lips tightly shut. He felt the pain and felt it <em>deeply.</em> Moments he would never get back, memories they couldn't create together... Tears welled up and worsened the agony in his skull. His whole body started to shake with silent sobs. It felt like his world was collapsing.</p><p>And then his time for drowning was up and he began to reign it back in. The anger from before, now caught in the current of a thousand other emotions, was easily swept back behind the dam with the rest of them. The pressure in his chest seeped away and he could breathe again, and with a trembling arm he wiped at his eyes and pulled Cassie closer, inhaling her soothing scent. His world couldn't be collapsing when he had at least part of his family here.</p><p>He closed his eyes. In the morning he was going to be his usual self again and they would keep getting ever closer to restoring humanity. </p><p>
  <em>Then I'm gonna find you and you're gonna meet her, Mentalist. Ten billion percent.</em>
</p><p>This time he didn't mind when he could practically hear the cheerful response in his head: <em>"I know you will. I'll be waiting, Senkuu-chan!"</em></p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Introducing sudden POV from Ishigami Senkuu: single teen parent with the world on his shoulders. Emotions be complicated, yo. </p><p>Next chapter introduces ya boi- but shall there be a twist?? Muahaha</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0008"><h2>8. Better safe than sorry</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>In which I promised Ya Boi but must hold off on him for one more chapter... I've been writing a Megachapter for the last month but it's STILL not done, so I decided that instead of posting a huge one after making you wait even longer, I'll cut it in half instead. Hope it's been worth waiting for, and sorry that it took so long!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Having Cassie around was, as would be expected, a huge morale booster. It was fascinating how the sting of many misfortunes could be wiped away just by her happy-go-lucky disposition, her easy smiles and enthusiastic laughter- Senkuu found that it was generally easier to ignore the frustration, the hunger pangs, the headaches and the exhaustion if he focused on her, and when she gave him her signature smile the rush of affection that always overcame him was enough to brighten even the grayest day.</p>
<p>Some days were harder than others, but even then she was a big help. Twice now he'd found himself on the ground, exhausted and disoriented, and all he could do was be thankful he hadn't had her strapped to him when it happened. It made him more wary to carry her, but he couldn't simply stop holding her altogether just in case; and then he'd realized that having her on him could be a factor in how bad the dizzy spells got. </p>
<p>Sometimes his head would get all fuzzy and his vision would start to spin and Cassie, seeming to sense the shift, would reach up and grab his bangs and give them a hearty pull or just let out a short screech to get his attention, startling him and making him stop what he was doing. Stopping to recoup was a key part of allaying an episode before it got worse, but when they came upon him he had a hard time thinking straight- having a human alert system was handy. Once he made eye contact with her she would always smile or giggle or spit at him, and, well, it was hard to feel awful when his daughter was so happy and lively. A grin would creep its way onto his face, his head would gradually clear, and then the episode would be over.</p>
<p>Another thing that made her enjoyable to be around was the fact that she could express what he could not.</p>
<p>Watching that swallow shed its stone encasement and take to the sky for the first time in centuries was an intensely emotional moment for Senkuu; <em>finally,</em> after a year of work, the path forward was made visible. There was something solid in which they could hope.</p>
<p>Filled with joy and relief and a slew of other things, Senkuu could only stare at the bird as it flew in fast, swooping circles overhead, speechless even as Taiju let out a triumphant yell. He couldn’t react. He was frozen.</p>
<p>And Cassie, sweet Cassie, expressed everything he was feeling with a prolonged bout of laughter.</p>
<p>She didn’t understand what was happening, of course- her cheerfulness came from watching the fast-moving bird, as evidenced by her chubby hands reaching towards the sky. Her little legs kicked with excitement, <em>tap-tap-tapping</em> at his hips with just enough force to finally snap him out of his reverie.</p>
<p>A smile overtook him and his hands came up to cradle her. “That’s one of the birds.”</p>
<p>“Ah!”</p>
<p>“Bird,” he repeated. She’d grown familiar with them over the past week or two now that she faced forward in the sling; when he sat at his work table she liked to reach up and pat at them whenever they were in reach, exploring their odd shape and texture. Seeing one alive and up close as she just had, he was sure she was having the time of her life.</p>
<p>
  <em>That’s not just a bird, though. That’s the culmination of everything we’ve been working towards for twelve long, brutal months.</em>
</p>
<p>He was no stranger to pride; his long list of accomplishments was more than enough cause for it. However, what he felt now was different- this was so much bigger than him that, had he been anyone else, he might have been intimidated.</p>
<p>He had successfully formulated the key to reviving humanity.</p>
<p>The sheer magnitude of it had him falling back onto a nearby stool, not trusting his legs.</p>
<p>“One year since I started experimenting… it didn’t take as long as I thought.” <em>But it was much too long all the same.</em></p>
<p>Cassie craned her neck to peer up at him with a squeal, fingers clinging tightly to his in a way that always made him smile. </p>
<p>His arms tightened around her and he pressed a kiss to the crown of her head. “We’ll see him soon.”</p>
<p>“We did it!” Taiju was cheering as he jogged over. The bird was now gone from sight. They’d have to make sure to put priority on freeing a female for the little guy to mate with- being the only one left of your species was awfully lonely.</p>
<p>Senkuu held up a hand and didn’t wince at the powerful high-five Taiju gave him. “We did- we’re going to beat fantasy with science!”</p>
<p>His friend’s eyes were swimming with emotion and he made no effort to hide it. “We’re gonna get Yuzuriha back!”</p>
<p>“We are,” Senkuu agreed.</p>
<p>“Baaah!” Cassie declared, catching her uncle’s attention.</p>
<p>Taiju dropped to his knees to be level with her, running a massive hand through her hair before leaning in and rubbing his nose against hers. “You’re gonna get to meet Yuzuriha! She’s gonna love you so much!”</p>
<p>Cassie burst out into giggles and grabbed his face with both hands, then blew a raspberry at him because those two were in a constant raspberry war and no special occasion could convince her of a ceasefire. Taiju did it back and then returned his gaze to Senkuu, who was watching with amusement.</p>
<p>“Did you decide who we’ll wake up first?”</p>
<p>The discussion hadn’t been brought up since that night back in winter. Well, Taiju hadn’t brought it up, anyway- Senkuu had been thinking it over for weeks and sometimes discussed it with Cassie when he needed to trot out his thought process and look for weaknesses in his own plans, but he kept it out of the big oaf’s earshot. Some of his plans required Taiju’s ignorance, so for now it was best to play it safe.</p>
<p>It was clear Taiju was expecting the most obvious answer, the one he’d suggested. Although spring had brought with it a significant increase in food opportunities, they still very much needed a skilled hunter- malnutrition aside, it was just common sense that they’d need more food as they added more people to their group.</p>
<p>In his free time Senkuu had taken to walking through the woods around camp, searching out the able-bodied statues in the hopes of adding to their options, but to his everlasting luck not a single person met the criteria. Some were more muscular than others, but none were built for speed or strength like Shishiou Tsukasa was.</p>
<p>And so their former classmate was officially added to the priority list by name.</p>
<p>With this addition came several problems, though- primarily how strong he was. The man was a renowned martial artist, but even if Senkuu didn’t know who he was, it was evident just by looking at that strapping figure that he could easily give Taiju a run for his money.</p>
<p>Neither of them had known Tsukasa personally. The only information about his personality that Senkuu had was from Gen, who was rather shaken up after doing a show with the Strongest Primate High Schooler.</p>
<p>
  <em>“He was so nice in person, but he’s so huge- he could break me in half!” Gen pulled the blanket over his head like a hood, making himself at home on Senkuu’s bed. “It was totally ary-scay!”</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Senkuu leaned back in his desk chair and stuck his pinky in his ear nonchalantly. “That’s what you get for pulling tricks on him on national television,” he teased, poking the mentalist with his foot.</em>
</p>
<p>“Must <em>you call my livelihood ‘pulling tricks’?”</em></p>
<p>It wasn’t much to work with, but it did tell him that extra caution would be needed in this scenario; Gen wasn’t afraid of people just because they were bigger than him. Although not explicitly stated, and although he clearly couldn't pinpoint what it was, the mentalist had detected <em>something</em> about Tsukasa that wasn’t quite right. What exactly the source of that something was, however, was anyone’s guess.</p>
<p>Who knew if the guy was crazy or not? If he would want to help their cause or try to force his own? If he did lash out, would he be above harming a child?</p>
<p>There was too much up in the air. Senkuu had several plans on standby depending on how things went down, but he had to decide now between two of them.</p>
<p>
  <em>Better safe than sorry. Yeah, it’ll put even more strain on our food supply, but if things go south it could be well worth it.</em>
</p>
<p>He smirked to hide his stress.</p>
<p>“I have, actually,” he said. “Go get Yuzuriha.”<br/>
--</p>
<p>Taiju returned to camp within an hour, panting heavily and carrying Yuzuriha with utmost care, a slightly crazed look on his face.</p>
<p>“There's <em>lions,</em> Senkuu!”</p>
<p>
  <em>That… makes sense, actually. Not what I was expecting though.</em>
</p>
<p>“Did they follow you here?” Senkuu asked, grip on Cassie tightening.</p>
<p>Taiju gently set Yuzuriha down, leaning her against the laboratory’s wall, and looked her over- presumably for damage. “No, I lost them by jumping off a cliff and booking it here. I don’t think they even tried to follow.”</p>
<p>It didn’t sit well with Senkuu. Lions had a superior sense of smell and if they were dedicated enough to tracking down the strange two-legged creature that had escaped them, it wouldn’t be difficult for them to locate a scent trail.</p>
<p>On top of all the other things he had to worry about…</p>
<p>
  <em>Oh well, what’s done is done. Hopefully he freaked them out enough to stay away.</em>
</p>
<p>The nital etch was heavy in his hand as he watched his best friend fawn over his basically-girlfriend. The plan was about to begin.</p>
<p>He let Taiju do the honors of pouring the fluid onto her, but quickly came to regret this decision as the big oaf wanted to do it excruciatingly slowly to add some sort of ceremony to the moment. At first Senkuu humored him, but as the seconds ticked by without anything being done his patience quickly fell away and then he had to step forward and give Taiju some prompting.</p>
<p>“Dude, just do it already. We don’t have time for this.”</p>
<p>“Just wait a sec! I wanna do this right,” Taiju said, holding the bottle precariously over her head. After several more seconds Senkuu got closer, ready to do it himself, but then Taiju stiffened and reared back, slapping a palm across Senkuu’s eyes. “Wait! She’s naked! We can’t wake her up like <em>this!”</em></p>
<p>The harsh movement and loud noise woke Cassie, who started to cry. Senkuu shoved the hand away with vitriol. “That doesn’t matter, Big Oaf! Nobody’s here to care!”</p>
<p><em>“She’ll</em> care!”</p>
<p>His baby’s continued cries brought his nerves to a new high, making his eye twitch and any remaining patience vanish. With jerky movements he untied her sling, unwound it, then held it out to Taiju while balancing Cassie on his hip. “Wrap her in this.”</p>
<p>“But you need that,” Taiju argued. “Just give me some time to make something instead.”</p>
<p>“We don’t <em>have</em> time. I’ve got two arms for carrying her and once Yuzuriha has actual clothes she can give it back,” Senkuu insisted, setting his jaw.</p>
<p>Taiju looked conflicted, but another prod from Senkuu had him nodding in eventual agreement and shooting his friend a grateful look. Senkuu watched as he wound the long strip of deerskin around her over and over again, covering everything he could before tying the ends- it wasn’t the most modest, and she wouldn’t have much freedom of mobility, but it was better than nothing.</p>
<p>Besides, she was the kind of girl that could make any outfit work- and judging by Taiju’s blush as he studied his handiwork, he’d noticed that too.</p>
<p>There was a pull on the front of Senkuu’s tunic, drawing his attention to Cassie. Bouncing her on his hip had calmed her down a bit, but the tears continued to spill and her chest kept hitching with hiccuping cries. Her face was flushed and she stared up at him woefully.</p>
<p>Changing tactics, he rocked her back and forth, rubbing her back. “Hey now, Cas, it’s okay. You’re alright,” he soothed, growing concerned when she continued to fuss. It normally didn’t take much to calm her.</p>
<p><em>Please just be scared.</em> Please <em>don’t be coming down with something.</em></p>
<p>A sick baby in the stone world was the last thing he could handle right now.</p>
<p>Taiju was watching them anxiously, nital etch momentarily forgotten. “Is she okay?”</p>
<p>“Yeah,” Senkuu said, waving him off. “Get on with it.”</p>
<p>“R-right!”</p>
<p>Finally, after an extra three thousand years of waiting for Taiju to work up the courage to do it, the fluid was poured onto Yuzuriha’s head. The boys crowded in close, eagerly awaiting a response of any kind.</p>
<p>At first there was nothing. The yellow liquid pooled in the divots of her hair, on her shoulders, in her ears. There was no sign that any reaction was going on within the statue. They waited in tense silence that was only broken by Cassie’s pitiful whining.</p>
<p>
  <em>Shit. Did I miscalculate the ratio? No, there’s no way! I was precise. I made sure it was exactly the same as the last batch. It worked on those corpse pieces, so we know it works on humans. Perhaps it-</em>
</p>
<p>With a resounding <em>crack!</em> the stone suddenly broke open, long cracks racing around her body as the reaction quickly took shape. Small pieces started sloughing off, revealing skin, hair, fingernails, an eye. Senkuu could feel his legs start to shake from the adrenaline currently coursing through him, and the manic grin on his face was completely out of his control. He explained how the process was working to Taiju even though it was obvious the big oaf wasn’t hearing a word of it.</p>
<p>The stone pieces holding her upright promptly fell away and then Yuzuriha was falling too, but of course Taiju was there to catch her, cradling her close with tears streaming down his face. She was in perfect shape- all in one piece, skin rosy, not so much as a hair out of place.</p>
<p>“Yuzuriha! Can you hear me?” Taiju called, lowering her to the ground. She remained limp. “Yuzuriha!”</p>
<p>Just as he was turning to Senkuu, presumably to beg for reassurance that this was normal or to ask for a way to fix it, Yuzuriha began to stir in Taiju’s arms. Her eyes opened to slits and she let out a pent-up sigh, the smallest of smiles gracing her lips.</p>
<p>“Taiju-kun?” she whispered.</p>
<p>The big oaf was even more emotional than before, shoulders shaking as he sobbed out a reply. “I’m so sorry, Yuzuriha! I made you wait 3,700 years! I’m sorry!”</p>
<p>But of course, part of Yuzuriha’s charm was how infuriatingly positive she could be. Even though she’d just woken from a several-thousand-year nap to the sight of Taiju weeping over her, having no context for anything, still her smile grew and she let out a faint laugh. “I have no idea what’s going on. I just woke up. But, yeah…” she stared up at him adoringly. “I think I know what’s going on. You saved me, didn’t you? Wow… thank you.”</p>
<p>Taiju was a mess; he could be a crybaby, but this was something else entirely. Senkuu cringed at both the overly saccharine display and the sheer amount of snot coating Taiju’s face as he slowly sat her up and pulled her into a hug.</p>
<p>Well, not that Senkuu could judge, per se… His gaze drifted down to Cassie, who was currently using his shirt as a tissue. Thankfully the whining had stopped and all that remained of her earlier distress was the occasional hiccup. She had tucked her face against his chest as though to hide.</p>
<p>
  <em>Just scared. Good.</em>
</p>
<p>While Senkuu was momentarily distracted Taiju had carefully helped Yuzuriha to her feet, and Senkuu was unprepared to meet the force of her gaze so suddenly.</p>
<p>Leaning heavily on Taiju, she rubbed the haze from her eyes, then pointed to Cassie and asked curiously, “Who’s that, Senkuu-kun?”</p>
<p>He smirked, rubbing circles on the baby’s back in the hopes of comforting her. “This is-”</p>
<p>“That’s Cassie,” Taiju interrupted eagerly, grin splitting his wet face. “She’s our niece!”</p>
<p>“Hey now, don’t steal my thunder, Big Oaf.”</p>
<p>“Niece?” Yuzuriha studied Cassie’s tiny form, eyes wide. “Does that make her your-” Her gaze drifted to Senkuu himself and he could pinpoint the moment the changes registered in her mind. “Oh! She is!”</p>
<p>If he had been unprepared to meet her stare before, it was nothing compared to the moment she unexpectedly launched herself from Taiju’s side and enveloped him in a hug, gently squeezing the baby between them. Her arms were weak, but she was recovering quickly. “Congratulations!”</p>
<p>He could have dodged it but, well, it would’ve been no good to jostle Cassie.</p>
<p>The pride from before came rushing back and he cackled. “Yeah, yeah, thanks. She’s pretty great.”</p>
<p>She pulled back and he gently coaxed his daughter to show her face; Cassie squinted up at him with displeasure. Yuzuriha let out a delighted squeal and cupped the baby’s chubby face in her palms.</p>
<p>“She’s <em>precious!”</em> But then her brows furrowed and one dainty finger traced over the dark line connecting Cassie’s eyes. “... What’s this?”</p>
<p>
  <em>Ah, well, that’s one way to get us back on track.</em>
</p>
<p>“Her depetrification scar- all of us have them.”</p>
<p>Yuzuriha’s eyes flitted from Senkuu’s face to Taiju’s, tracing paths over their dark scars, widening with shock. “Oh, wow…”</p>
<p>Taiju put an arm around her shoulders to steady her as the reality of their situation seemed to hit home. She looked a bit pale; Senkuu didn’t blame her. It was a lot to take in no matter how slowly she was given information. He was sure she’d soon realize that they hadn’t just been kidnapped and abandoned in the woods somewhere- that something much more significant and life-changing had happened. The scars, Cassie’s age, their rudimentary clothes, their encampment, the fragments of human-shaped stone still scattered around where she’d woken up… nothing logical or predictable could explain everything. He needed to lay it all out for her before her brain shorted out trying to make sense of the nonsensical.</p>
<p>He gently grabbed her elbow and started guiding her to the treehouse, ignoring the small spike of dread that always popped up at the thought of climbing that exhausting ladder. The lions had him more cautious about sitting out in the open. “Come on, let’s go sit down. There’s a lot to discuss.”</p>
<p>Yuzuriha’s arm sneakily slipped through his grip until she was holding his hand, and the usual visceral reaction was replaced with an unusual wave of fondness.</p>
<p>Senkuu smiled to himself while they couldn’t see it and gave her hand a quick squeeze before pulling away.<br/>
--</p>
<p>One of the biggest challenges of this new situation Yuzuriha suddenly found herself in was how hard it was not to stare at Senkuu and seem creepy. She couldn’t help it! Taiju looked pretty much the same as he had 3700 years ago (and how crazy was <em>that?),</em> besides the scars running down his handsome face that she still wasn’t used to and the fact that he seemed to have lost some weight.</p>
<p>Senkuu, though, looked more <em>different</em> than she’d ever realized was possible. Despite his weight loss, his face was just a bit fuller than she remembered- likely the last vestiges of baby weight still clinging wherever it could. It was weird, definitely, and despite being such a slight change it made a world of difference, but it wasn’t a bad look. It made him look softer and kinder, made his gleeful smiles look less deranged.</p>
<p>More jarring, though, was the most obvious change, the one that stared her right in the furiously blushing face as she walked in on Senkuu nursing his baby.</p>
<p>“Yo,” he greeted nonchalantly, not making any move to hide from her sight, “Needle’s in there.” He gestured with his head towards a poorly-woven basket by the far wall.</p>
<p>“O-oh, th-thanks,” she squeaked, wishing she’d paid more attention to her surroundings when she’d decided to start gathering supplies for sewing. Shouldn’t she have found it weird that he’d suddenly disappeared? What else could he have been making that trip up to the treehouse for? She could’ve at least knocked before barging in… <em>Gah, I’m an idiot!</em> “Sorry, I didn’t mean to intrude, I didn’t see anythi-”</p>
<p>“It’s fine. I don’t care.”</p>
<p>Still, her eyes took the circumventing route to get back to his face. “You don’t?”</p>
<p>Senkuu scoffed and ran a hand over Cassie’s head absently. “Do I seem like the type?”</p>
<p><em>He’s got me there.</em> “I guess not. Still, do you want me to leave? I was going to get started on making a dress in here, but if you want to be alone that’s fine.”</p>
<p>Senkuu wasn’t the type to lie about something like this just to make her feel better, so she was surprised when he rather adamantly shook his head.</p>
<p>“No, I actually wanted to talk to you.”</p>
<p>Yuzuriha blinked, pausing as she pulled the bone needle from its hiding place. “You do? Without Taiju?”</p>
<p>“Yep- he’ll find out later.”</p>
<p>“Oh… okay.” She settled in on the floor beside him, deciding to get to work on the dress while they talked. A wave of nostalgia washed over her at the familiarity of a needle and cloth in hand, Senkuu doing his own thing next to her- it reminded her of those days after school when she took her crafts club busywork with her to the science lab to spend time with her boys. It made her heart feel just a little bit steadier in this uncertain new world. “What did you want to talk about?”</p>
<p>It had only been a few hours since they’d explained everything that had happened, and while she was proud of how well she’d handled it, every once in a while something new would hit her and remind her that this was their world now; it wasn’t an elaborate prank or temporary oddity. She had a feeling it would take a while for her to truly adjust, and now she had to admit to being a bit worried that Senkuu was about to spill some other life-changing information and overwhelm her poor, aching brain further.</p>
<p>Senkuu, on top of now looking softer, also looked more weary. “I told you earlier that, for various unavoidable reasons, we need to revive Shishiou Tsukasa.”</p>
<p>“Right,” Yuzuriha replied with a nod. She weaved the thread in and out of the hide methodically, falling into a lull.</p>
<p>“But there is, of course, a problem: we’ll be letting a very strong stranger into our group. If he’s so inclined he could overpower us, ten billion percent.”</p>
<p>
  <em>Oh no, I hadn’t even thought of that…</em>
</p>
<p>“I thought Gen said his scariness was just an act?”</p>
<p>With a shrug, he replied, “Niceness can easily be an act as well; we have no idea what his personality is, let alone his core beliefs.” He pulled Cassie up to his shoulder and started patting her back. “There are hundreds of ways this can go down. As such, I’ve created a multitude of strategies that I’ll be amending or discarding as I get more information- and I may need to ask a pretty big favor of you.”</p>
<p>She didn’t hesitate, hands falling still. “What is it?”</p>
<p>There was a pregnant pause as he seemed to consider whether or not to continue, building on her nerves. Still, she would wait and listen for what he had to say- she would be useful in any way she could, and she hoped he knew that and took it into account as he formed his plans.</p>
<p>Finally he met her eyes dead-on with that intense stare of his that usually made a shiver creep down her spine. This time she met it with equal determination.</p>
<p>After a few tense seconds, the corner of his lips lifted. He turned Cassie in his embrace so her sleepy face was visible. Without breaking eye contact, he asked, “If there is a need for it, would you be willing to claim her as your child?”</p>
<p>Yuzuriha’s heart stuttered in her chest and for a moment she couldn’t seem to breathe.</p>
<p>“W-what… what are you saying?” she asked in quiet horror. <em>No, get ahold of yourself!</em> Her jaw was tight and she tried her best to loosen it, to let out a calming breath, but only managed halfway. Her shoulders refused to lose their tension. Still, her voice came out steadier; she counted that as a victory. “I know death is a possibility and that this guy could be dangerous- but I can’t promise you I can keep her alive on my own! I can’t even feed her!”</p>
<p>He shook his head, waving a hand in placation. “That’s not what I mean- although in exigent circumstances it <em>is</em> possible to nurse someone else’s baby. No, what I mean is, if I pretend that she’s yours, would you be able to play along?”</p>
<p>“Why pretend? If he’s a risk to her why would it matter whose baby she is?”</p>
<p>“It matters because trouble is most likely to arise from conflict- because I’m the lead of this operation, I’m the most likely one to encounter it. You, on the other hand, are the least offensive member of our group. You can take her and stay out of the way and be at less risk.”</p>
<p>It made sense, but it made her stomach churn all the same. She didn’t like how anxious he seemed to be, even if he was doing a good job of hiding the tics- the hyperawareness in and of itself was a sign he was uneasy about this, thinking over every possible scenario with way more detail than he usually devoted to his plans. Something about Shishiou Tsukasa had him on edge, and she wondered if something Gen had told him about the fighter was the culprit.</p>
<p>
  <em>Then again…</em>
</p>
<p>Senkuu was cradling Cassie close, fingers brushing through her dark hair affectionately. The baby leaned into the touch as her eyelids fluttered, a very peaceful look on her face, and it was clear she was in her favorite place in the whole world.</p>
<p>
  <em>… He’s got his daughter to think about now. Of course he’d be more cautious than ever- I’m sure he’s got a million plans in case anything goes wrong. He’s probably just being really overprotective.</em>
</p>
<p>It was anxiety-inducing, but it was also… really sweet.</p>
<p>She realized she’d been quiet for a few beats too long and emphatically said, “Of course I would play along. Whatever you need.”</p>
<p>The devious, out of place smirk that she’d long since grown used to quickly spread over his lips, flashing his teeth. “Perfect,” he said with a very muted cackle, so as not to startle the baby. “You’ll need to be on babysitting duty a lot in the next few days so you two can bond. Think you can handle it?”</p>
<p>She turned back to her project with a fond smile. “I’m offended, Senkuu-kun; you know I love babies!”<br/>
--</p>
<p>It was well past sunset and Yuzuriha was reluctant but defeated as she handed Cassiopeia over to Taiju. She’d been making attempts all throughout the day to hold her niece, with no success; for all intents and purposes she was a stranger, and so Cassie was terrified of her.</p>
<p>She sighed, looking down at her lap, at her bare legs. She had to keep readjusting how she sat to avoid her makeshift clothes riding up and being too exposing, and now again she had to shift. The movement caught Taiju’s attention, bringing his gaze to her face to see what she was sure was a terrible frown.</p>
<p>“What’s wrong?” he asked, always worried about her.</p>
<p>“Oh, it’s nothing,” she replied with a self-deprecating chuckle. “I just feel bad I’m making such a bad first impression.”</p>
<p>“It’s not your fault!” he argued. “She just doesn’t know you yet. I’m sure she’ll love you once she gets used to you!”</p>
<p>Cassie’s fussing had finally died down and when Yuzuriha looked up, she saw Taiju bouncing the baby with practiced ease, patting her tiny back with one huge hand. Cassie was just as at home on Taiju’s chest as she was Senkuu’s. Yuzuriha felt a pang of jealousy before she let it go, reminding herself that it took time- Taiju was a trusted person because he’d been around for that little girl’s entire life. With enough time and patience Yuzuriha could ingratiate herself.</p>
<p>She nodded. “I know. I’ll keep working on her, don’t worry!”</p>
<p>She would have said more, but the longer she looked at the pair, the more distracted she became. It was a secret thought, one that made her face heat up in a way that made her grateful for the darkened room, but she couldn’t deny it: Taiju looked good holding a baby. With a galloping heart Yuzuriha noticed how large and muscular he seemed in comparison to the delicate little body in his arms, yet how gentle and soft he was as he curled just a bit around her, contorting himself to make sure his niece was comfortable, his grip on her steadfast but tender. The moonlight illuminated his big brown eyes and the love overflowing in their depths.</p>
<p>
  <em>Taiju-kun...</em>
</p>
<p>She felt like a lovesick schoolgirl.</p>
<p>“Wanna try again?” Taiju offered, breaking the silence and her train of thought. He was holding the baby out in his hands. She was fast asleep.</p>
<p><em>She can’t cry about what she doesn’t know,</em> Yuzuriha thought. “Sure,” she said, taking great care to bring the infant into her arms without waking her.</p>
<p>Cassie was perfectly content, her chubby face completely angelic. Every time Yuzuriha looked at her niece she was filled with adoration, and now was no exception- her hesitance fell away and she cuddled that child like she was her own. There was something about the pliant weight of a sleeping baby in her arms that just made her heart melt.</p>
<p>
  <em>You’re so perfect…</em>
</p>
<p>For some reason Cassie’s existence hadn’t been as massive a surprise as she would’ve thought. At first she’d been shocked, but within minutes she’d moved on to eagerness to hold her, to nurture her. It had been less than a day and now it was hard to imagine life without Cassie in it, even if aunt and niece weren’t very close yet.</p>
<p>Maybe it was how well-adjusted to her the boys were- the baby was ingrained into their daily lives as though she’d always been there. They didn’t have to think about it when it came to deciphering what her different cries meant, and it was a matter of habit for them to take care of her. </p>
<p>Yuzuriha hoped she’d soon be the same.</p>
<p>“She’s so cuuute,” she crooned under her breath, kissing Cassie’s button nose lightly.</p>
<p>“Isn’t she?” Taiju asked proudly, which she also found cute. He crossed his arms over his chest with a big grin. “You should see her when she laughs- it’s the cutest thing ever!”</p>
<p>That sounded <em>adorable.</em> She couldn’t wait.</p>
<p>“I also <em>love</em> her hair,” she continued, brushing through the soft, crazy tufts with a giggle, “although it’s hard to believe she’s Senkuu’s when it’s so… <em>normal.”</em></p>
<p>“I know! I thought it would at least be white.”</p>
<p>Yuzuriha paused, knitting her brows together. “Senkuu-kun’s hair isn’t white, is it? I thought it was dyed.”</p>
<p>He paused as well, scratching his chin in thought. “Well… I’ve never seen him dye it.”</p>
<p>“But his eyebrows are darker.”</p>
<p>“It’s been like that since I met him when we were like, five.”</p>
<p>“... that’s so weird!”</p>
<p>That had been a bit too loud; she cringed at her mistake. Cassie suddenly started shifting, eyes opening wide. She saw Yuzuriha and started squirming more, face crumpling like she was about to cry again, and Yuzuriha panicked a little before beginning to rock her, murmuring soothing words, exuding a calmness she didn’t feel. Internally she begged the baby to <em>please</em> fall back asleep, <em>please</em> give her a chance.</p>
<p>“You’re okay, Cassie-chan, it’s okay, shh… I promise I’m nice, and I love you a lot, and you can trust me… shhh… it’s okay…”</p>
<p>It took almost a minute of this before the threatened tantrum started to fade away, replaced by a look of confusion as those intelligent eyes truly looked her over, picking up whatever details they could in the bad lighting. Yuzuriha clutched her closer to her breast, bringing her face closer and whispering, “I’m your aunt, Cassie-chan. See? I’m not so scary.”</p>
<p>Following a random impulse, she gently cupped the baby’s face in one palm and caressed her soft cheek. At first Cassie seemed unsure of how she felt about it, but the longer they stayed like this, the more she started to relax, the more her eyelids started to droop. Yuzuriha watched with bated breath, whispered a final “I love you,” and fought back happy tears as the baby finally gave in and fell back asleep with a rather contented huff.</p>
<p>Yuzuriha sighed in relief, sharing a triumphant grin with Taiju, who had been leaning forward, probably to show her what to do. <em>See? I’m getting the hang of it!</em></p>
<p>She turned back to her sleeping charge. <em>Maybe there’s hope for your scary aunt after all, huh?</em> Her fingers traced over that little face lovingly.</p>
<p>The next half hour passed impossibly quickly, and when Senkuu climbed back up to the treehouse, Yuzuriha (politely) refused to give him his daughter for another twenty minutes, relishing every minute she could get with her precious niece now that progress was being made.</p>
<p>Senkuu acted annoyed, but it was impossible for him to hide the soft look on his face.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>The Triumvirate has been reunited! :D</p>
<p>Senkuu has  s t r e s s  D:</p>
<p>The girls are  b o n d i n g  :D</p>
<p>Thanks for sticking around! I should have more time to write now that the semester's over- have I mentioned that college can burn in Hell?</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0009"><h2>9. All I'm gonna ask for</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I'm still here! Hello! :D Hope this chapter finds you well!</p><p>In which I make liberal use of the <em>Senkuu's having a rough time</em> tag.</p><p>Featuring: dudes being bros, dudes being fiercely protective of everyone they love, and dudes making new friends.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>All Senkuu could think in that moment was <em>thank god Cassie warmed up to Yuzuriha.</em></p><p>
  <em>Thank god she’s not here.</em>
</p><p>He wouldn’t have been able to forgive himself if his collapse to the ground had ended in her injury.</p><p>The grass was not as soft as it looked, poking painfully at his face, his limbs, even through his clothes. Any attempt to get up died in the planning stage. He tried to roll onto his back, at least, but even that was a no-go.</p><p>There was no energy left in him. No strength to be found. For now, he was stuck lying in a heap.</p><p>Shivering at the chill that was creeping over him in the shade provided by the trees above, he peeled open the eye that wasn’t pressed against the ground and tried to gather his bearings, ignoring the way his breaths shuddered, the way his chest ached, the way his vision was blurred. Harder to ignore was the stabbing pain that had taken root deep in his stomach; if he weren’t so dead tired his fists would be tightly clenched.</p><p><em>This could be a lot worse.</em> The episode hadn’t been a full-on faint, so he’d been somewhat able to break his fall, at least.</p><p>His gaze drifted to the unhealthily pale blob that was his right arm, sprawled in the grass beside him uselessly. Even like this he could make out a new red mark on his palm right above the older, darker one. This wasn’t his first fall.</p><p><em>Shouldn’t that have healed by now?</em> he wondered drowsily, trying to focus in on the old cut but failing. <em>Last time was over a week ago…</em></p><p>
  <em>Oh well.</em>
</p><p>From past experience he knew he’d be able to get up in a while; the sharp pain would eventually fade as well. He just needed to wait this out. He wasn’t worried.</p><p>There were lions not far from this area, he reminded himself. He was bleeding, he was alone, he was defenseless. He really <em>should</em> care. It was <em>smart</em> to care.</p><p>
  <em>What was I even doing all the way out here anyway?</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Oh, the cave. Right.</em>
</p><p>They were getting closer to having enough nitric acid for the next batch of nital etch- the batch with Shishiou Tsukasa’s name on it. In less than three days Stage Two of the depetrification plan could begin.</p><p>
  <em>I don’t have time to waste like this!</em>
</p><p>The crossbow. He’d been on his way back to camp to finish putting the crossbow together.</p><p>He glanced up at the patchwork of colors above him; there were still a few hours of daylight left.</p><p>Hours he needed to make the most of.</p><p>Suddenly some strength was available to him, and he used it to roll haphazardly onto his back.</p><p>There was something gray hovering right over his face. His eyes focused on the closest point and he found it to be the tip of a finger, and as he lifted his gaze he followed the finger up to the hand it was connected to- the hand extended to him as though offering to help him up. It was made of stone.</p><p>And for some illogical reason the first thought that darted through his tired brain was, <em>Gen?</em></p><p>But that was ridiculous and he knew it immediately. He’d passed by this statue many times in his comings and goings to the cave. He knew without seeing the body the hand was attached to that it belonged to a young woman, frozen in a position that indicated she’d been reaching for someone. Judging by the awfully maternal look on her face, it was probably a small child’s hand that belonged in that grasp.</p><p>Senkuu blinked hard, bringing shaking arms up to rub the fog from his eyes, and when he could finally see clearly, he grabbed her hand, grit his teeth, and hauled himself upright. The world spun around him for a few agonizing seconds before it finally passed, and with determination he slowly got to his feet.</p><p>
  <em>Cassie’s gotta be hungry by now.</em>
</p><p>As he trudged back to camp with a stumbling gait, one hand clutched at his stomach in an attempt to alleviate the pain. Now wasn’t the time for it.<br/>
--</p><p>Taiju had just made up his mind to go search for Senkuu- who had been gone for twice as long as he’d said he’d be- when his friend came stumbling through the bushes and into the clearing, one arm wrapped around his middle and the other searching out something to anchor himself on. Taiju instantly noticed the grass stains on his knees, the cut on his palm, the weakness that was permeating from his every pore, and realized with horror that Senkuu had had an episode while he was all alone- <em>again.</em> Most of the time the dizzy spells didn’t knock him down, but every once in a while Senkuu pushed himself a bit too far and ended up in a crumpled heap; Taiju could never predict when that would happen, so out of the three total episodes he’d only been there for one of them.</p><p>His protective instincts went on overdrive and he dashed over and scooped Senkuu into his arms before the scientist could protest- except that the protest never came. Senkuu panted heavily, eyelids fluttering, and was still, allowing himself to be carried.</p><p>Even though he knew already, Taiju demanded, “What happened?”</p><p>Senkuu murmured something unintelligible.</p><p>“Did you fall again? Did you get hurt?”</p><p>A disjointed nod, then a pause, then a head shake. Senkuu opened his eyes and seemed to be coming back to his senses. “I’m okay.”</p><p><em>Like hell you are!</em> For the first time in years, Taiju got genuinely angry at his best friend. He grit his teeth and started walking slowly back to camp.</p><p>“Don’t lie to me, Senkuu,” he said lowly, “we’re supposed to be a team.”</p><p>“Not a lie.”</p><p>“Yes it is! You can’t even stand and you’re obviously in pain! You’re just getting worse and worse but you keep saying you’re okay! You’re hiding something from me. I might not be the brainy one here, but I’m not <em>that</em> stupid.”</p><p>“I never said you were,” Senkuu bit back, color returning to his face. “This is nothing new. What’s the point of me moaning and groaning about it?”</p><p>“You’re getting worse,” Taiju insisted. “There’s something else.”</p><p>“I’ll be fine. We have a plan in motion to fix this.”</p><p>“<em>Will</em> it fix this? Or are you lying about that too?”</p><p>Maybe it was childish to be hung up on this, but Taiju was tired of being kept in the dark. Here he was, doing everything humanly possible to help and take care of his sickly friend, and he was repaid with vagueness and half-truths and the feeling that Senkuu wasn’t being entirely up-front with him- that in and of itself wasn’t out of character, as Senkuu had a tendency to keep some things from him, but usually Taiju could trust that it was for a good reason. This time he wasn’t so sure, and it hurt.</p><p>And maybe it was even more childish to feel the need to tack on a desperate, “You can tell me this stuff. We’re best friends! I can handle it.”</p><p>Senkuu was chewing on the inside of his cheek, unintentionally popping his lip out in a pout that Taiju would’ve found hilarious at any other time. Instead it just put him on the defense, fully ready for whatever big-word vitriol was about to be thrown his way. It had been a while since he’d had to face Senkuu’s wrath (the last time being when he was still pregnant), but this was a hill he would be fine with dying on in his stubborn resolution.</p><p>Instead, to his surprise, Senkuu clicked his tongue and said, “I <em>will</em> be fine. You can put me down now.”</p><p>Taiju did as asked, knowing full well what would happen but swallowing his protests. <em>If he wants to prove his point, let him try.</em></p><p>Senkuu made it an entire three wobbly steps before, sure enough, he was on his knees, looking confused- like his body had betrayed him. Taiju knelt beside him and said nothing.</p><p>His friend’s hands came to rest on his knees, then clenched into fists. Uncharacteristically, he wouldn’t meet Taiju’s eye, and just before he turned his head away Taiju caught a glimpse of his lips, tightly pursed and shaking. He seemed… <em>hurt.</em> Or upset. Or maybe even sad- it was hard to tell when he got like this.</p><p>In one fell swoop Taiju had answers, though: yes, Senkuu was keeping something from him, and no, it would not be shared right now. He’d be frustrated by that if it weren’t for how subdued Senkuu was suddenly acting, as though he didn’t like thinking about whatever it was. Taiju realized with a jolt that maybe Senkuu didn’t talk about it because he was <em>afraid</em> to.</p><p>Maybe it was something personal. Something Taiju had no right to ask after.</p><p>Otherwise Senkuu would have said something, he was sure. His friend didn’t keep secrets for no reason, and he knew that, but seeing him like this was a good reminder. It broke his heart just a little, but Taiju could accept that.</p><p>
  <em>I think I’m starting to understand, Senkuu…</em>
</p><p>Taiju hated fighting with anyone, let alone his best friend. He didn’t want to drag this on, didn’t want to give the damage a chance to get worse, so finally he let out a sigh and broke the tense silence with an olive branch. “I’m just worried about you, dude. You, Cassie, Yuzu… you’re all I have left. You’re my family.” Senkuu’s fists tightened and Taiju could’ve sworn his cheeks had gotten redder. “I hate seeing you like this, and I wish you would tell me what’s wrong, but… well, you don’t have to. I trust you.” He put his hand on Senkuu’s shoulder and Senkuu finally lifted his head, met his gaze. His eyes were wide, and Taiju continued firmly, “All I’m gonna ask for is the truth: are you dying?”</p><p>That had been his worst fear for the past several weeks; that Senkuu would continue to keep his suffering a secret and then one day Taiju would just wake up to a world that no longer had his best friend in it.</p><p>Whatever emotion had overtaken him so suddenly earlier was quick to leave Senkuu as well. The ugly splotches on his cheeks and under his eyes faded away and it was with a level expression that the scientist promised, “No. Not any more than I have been, anyway.” And he said that last bit with a wry tone and it was like the universe was completely right again.</p><p>That was all Taiju needed. He was glad to let the tension go, and the small smile he gave his friend was genuine. “Okay.” He got to his feet and held out a hand. “Ready to go back?”</p><p>Senkuu had an odd expression on his face as he looked at Taiju’s hand, but then he broke into an equally genuine smile and accepted it, allowing his best friend to pull him to his feet- only Taiju didn’t let go, yanking him into a bear hug.</p><p>“You <em>scared</em> me!” Taiju cried, not caring that his friend had gone tense.</p><p>There was a quiet huff. Senkuu loosened up and hugged him back. “I know.”<br/>
--</p><p>Cassie was way more eager to reunite with Senkuu than usual, and if Senkuu hadn’t assured him a million times that babies weren’t secretly all-knowing, Taiju would have seen that as a sign that she knew something bad had happened. She had warmed up to Yuzu substantially, but the minute the six-month-old caught sight of Senkuu she was reaching for him and kicking her feet almost frantically. When he took her into his arms she glommed on with all of her might. He wasn’t yet feeling well enough to climb the ladder, so he fed her in the laboratory where he had a wall to sit against.</p><p>“So what happened back there?” Yuzuriha asked, holding up the tunic she was working on to examine it. He knew she wasn’t really focused on her task right now- she just liked to keep her hands busy when she got stressed. “He didn’t look so good.”</p><p>Taiju tipped his head back to lean against the tree trunk with a sigh, looking up at the wooden planks above them. “He’s really weak right now since we’re not getting much food and he has to provide for Cassie too. Sometimes he gets dizzy and falls.”</p><p>She made a concerned sound. “Did he hurt himself?”</p><p>“Nah, just a little scrape on his hand. He’ll be back to normal in a bit.”</p><p>“Thank goodness!”</p><p>“Yeah.”</p><p>Somehow he could feel her analytical stare before he saw it. She was looking him up and down unabashedly, and after a few moments she scooted closer so they were hip-to-hip. He tried not to blush as she laid the tunic across her lap and then took one of his hands in both of hers, rotating and examining his arm.</p><p>“... Do <em>you</em> ever get dizzy?” she finally asked, lips pursed with worry. He didn’t like seeing that kind of expression on her pretty face.</p><p>He shook his head, grinning widely to dispel her fears. “Nope! I’ve been good.”</p><p>Her finger dug slightly into his ribs. “You’ve lost weight, Taiju-kun.”</p><p>And really, he didn’t have an answer to that. He was more affected by all of this than he liked to admit.</p><p>“You don’t seem to have as much energy as you used to,” she continued. “And you barely ate any of the fish you caught last night- even when we pushed you to, you wouldn’t take more. Do you always eat so little? I know resources are limited, but…”</p><p>Taiju still wasn’t sure how to answer, but then she hugged his arm to her chest and said emphatically, “You’ve got to worry about your own health, too! You have to take care of yourself!”</p><p>“I-I do,” he promised, face getting hot. “I just worry about you guys more, that’s all! It’s my job to keep everyone fed and safe. I’m not all that good at it, but it’s still my job!”</p><p>Yuzuriha looked scandalized at the mere suggestion, and when she retorted it was extremely indignant, as though he’d just insulted everything she held dear. “That’s not true! You’re what holds this little camp of ours together! I’ve only been around for two weeks but even I’ve seen what a good job you do! You work so hard, you do whatever is asked of you no matter how tired you are, you jump into action whenever you’re needed… You’re amazing!”</p><p>With every word his spirits lifted; this was basically a more detailed rehash of his starlit conversation with Senkuu all those months back, but hearing such high praise in no uncertain terms was enough to make his chest feel tight. Senkuu had been clear back then, but truthfully the doubts had never gone away.</p><p>“... you think so?” he asked, even though she would never lie about that.</p><p>Her brown eyes were fiery. “I <em>know</em> so.”</p><p>He wanted to stay in that good feeling, but harsh reality quickly slammed into him and he bowed his head.</p><p>“But he’s so weak… he said back then that he’d be okay, but he’s just getting worse and worse because I’ve been doing so bad- even since he was still pregnant with her.”</p><p>Yuzuriha’s fingers interlaced with his and she said gently, “But think about how he’d be right now <em>without</em> you. Go ask him- I’m sure he can tell you exactly what would have happened.”</p><p><em>Without me?</em> He was horrified at the thought. <em>Without someone who could still go out and check the traps when he could barely move? Without someone to go out on the ice and fish? Without someone who could lift a deer carcass and get it back to camp before predators caught the scent?</em></p><p>
  <em>He wouldn’t have been eating much at all towards the end of the pregnancy, let alone anything right before she was born! I had to carry him down the ladder! And then if having her used up a lot of whatever energy he had left, would he have been able to leave the hut at all? Would he ever have been able to get food for himself? Or would he have withered away? How long would Cassie last?</em>
</p><p>
  <em>That would be awf- oh.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>OH.</em>
</p><p>“You’re right,” he murmured, awestruck. <em>They might not even be</em> alive <em>right now if I hadn’t shown up to help.</em></p><p>Why hadn’t he ever put that together before?!</p><p>A small, sweet smile pulled at her lips. “You saved both of their lives- don’t sell yourself short!”</p><p>And then she leaned up and kissed his cheek.</p><p>“Take care of yourself, Taiju-kun.”<br/>
--</p><p>Leaving his daughter in Yuzuriha’s care that day was more difficult than Senkuu had predicted; besides Cassie being more fussy and clingy than usual, the idea of leaving her behind and going to do something potentially dangerous was extremely unappealing. When the baby started crying the moment he tried to hand her off, he was so very tempted to grab her back, retreat to their corner of the room and go back to lounging in their nest of blankets with her settled firmly on his chest.</p><p>But alas, today was an important day that he couldn’t put off for emotion’s sake.</p><p>“Remember, when we get back, don’t introduce yourself,” he coached his friend, trying to ignore Cassie’s mournful cries. “Leave it to me.”</p><p>Yuzuriha nodded her understanding, bouncing the baby with practiced ease.</p><p>“Good luck.”</p><p>And with that he and Taiju were off, nital etch in hand.</p><p>As they walked quietly through the forest, dodging low-hanging branches and hopping over tree roots like it was second nature, Senkuu’s mind wouldn’t stop racing. Hundreds of plans appeared before his mind’s eye, all converging on this focal point, the point of awakening Shishiou Tsukasa, but then offshooting in drastically different directions depending on how things went down. He found himself double-checking (or quadruple-checking, really, but who was counting?) details he had carefully set into place: was Taiju wearing the crossbow on his back? Did he have the new tunic in hand?</p><p>The answer to both was, of course, <em>yes.</em></p><p>“So, uh, why’s your hair like that?” Taiju broached, and Senkuu was aware he’d been wanting to ask the entire morning.</p><p>New detail to check on- was his hair still in place?</p><p>“In case I need to make a certain kind of first impression.”</p><p>His normally spiked-up hair was pulled back in a ponytail in an attempt to seem smaller, nonthreatening. Gen had loved to tease that he was like a wild bird, puffing up his feathers in an attempt to ward off predators. The word <em>posturing</em> would get thrown around.</p><p>So <em>what</em> if Senkuu just happened to favor that kind of tall hairstyle while being rather small in build? Correlation is not causation, he’d argue back, then launch into an equally bullshit analysis of his boyfriend’s singular lock of long hair.</p><p>“I mean, it looks good on you, but wouldn’t Gen have problems with that?”</p><p>That drew him out of his musings for a moment, and he sent Taiju a confused look.</p><p>“Problems with what?”</p><p>Taiju raised his eyebrows. “<em>A certain kind of first impression.”</em></p><p>“Oh, <em>dude.”</em> Senkuu punched his arm with a snort. “You can fuck right off with that,” he said, and he couldn’t help his huge grin.</p><p>“Am I wrong, though?” Taiju retorted, nudging him playfully. “Isn’t that how you snagged Gen?”</p><p>“I’m sure I don’t know what you’re referring to.”</p><p>His friend laughed, adopted a rather offensively high-pitched falsetto, and said, “<em>‘It’s not just a study date, Big Oaf- I have to make a good first impression!’”</em></p><p>“I wouldn’t tease the person who has literally <em>all of the sharp things</em> in his belt, Big Oaf,” Senkuu threatened with a smile that featured way more teeth than was socially acceptable. It was a superpower of his, really. Pairing that with his evil-looking eyes, he was a master of creeping people out.</p><p>Of course, Taiju was years immune by this point. He shrugged, adjusting the straps holding the crossbow in place with a shit-eating grin. “I’m just sayin’... I’m not vouching for you if Gen wakes up and Cassie has a little sister.”</p><p>And that, for several reasons, snapped Senkuu right back into the present moment, where each step, no matter how small, took them closer to Tsukasa and further from Cassie. His stomach clenched and he put a hand over it, trying to calm his nerves. <em>This is not the time for emotion.</em></p><p>Sensing the sudden shift in mood, Taiju asked seriously, “Are you really that worried about this guy?”</p><p>“A lot of things could go wrong,” Senkuu replied simply. He didn’t want to freak Taiju out by delving into everything going through his head.</p><p>“Well, no matter what happens, I won’t let anything happen to any of you,” Taiju declared, and Senkuu felt a warmth grow in his chest.</p><p>He gave his friend a fond look. “I’d expect nothing less, Big Oaf.”<br/>
--</p><p>Senkuu swore he could hear his heart beating in his ears as they watched the statue with growing apprehension, waiting for the miracle fluid to do its job and free the behemoth crouching before them. Beside him, Taiju had one hand looped under the strap on his shoulder, a bead of sweat falling down his face.</p><p>
  <em>Crack.</em>
</p><p>That singular sound seemed to shake the earth beneath their feet, quickly followed by quieter <em>crack</em>s as the reaction took place, tracing lines all over the man’s body. Pieces began falling away, revealing tan skin, brown hair, muscles that were much more defined than they’d first seemed…</p><p>A piece fell from the man’s eye, and Senkuu fought hard not to react when that eye snapped open, revealing depths of burgundy. Fixated <em>right on him.</em></p><p>“Shishiou Tsukasa,” he greeted evenly, raising his voice to make sure he was heard. “Your entire body is encased in stone. Today is May 18th, 5739, but you’re still eighteen years old.”</p><p>The pupil constricted faintly and Senkuu tensed just a bit. He hid it by crossing his arms casually over his chest and cocking his head, keeping his expression open. “Move around, that’ll free ya.”</p><p>The man didn’t move, instead continuing to stare Senkuu down. He’d wonder if Tsukasa was awake if not for the way that eye proceeded to rove over his body as though taking stock.</p><p>
  <em>I don’t like this.</em>
</p><p>Taiju was apparently on the same wavelength, because the way he stepped into Tsukasa’s field of vision and partially blocked his view of Senkuu was hardly subtle. Senkuu appreciated the gesture but first impressions were important, so he stepped around his friend and moved closer to their query.</p><p>“Can you move?”</p><p>But then Tsukasa’s eye fixed on something behind him, on the wrong side to be Taiju, and Senkuu felt himself freeze up. He should’ve had Taiju on the lookout for-</p><p>A loud roar shattered the tense atmosphere and he whipped around just in time to get a glimpse of giant teeth and claws as an absolute monster of a lion charged them, several lionesses following close behind.</p><p>Taiju let out a shout of terror, hand darting for the crossbow, but his reflexes were nothing on the speed of a sprinting cat, and Senkuu knew without calculating that it wouldn’t be enough.</p><p>
  <em>Crack.</em>
</p><p>The sound of stone breaking apart.</p><p>He peered back at Tsukasa and saw the glint in his eye as he began to move.</p><p>“Get down!”</p><p>Unfortunately Taiju didn’t react to the warning in time, staying on his feet while Senkuu dropped to the ground. Chunks of rock went flying through the air like a spray of bullets, some making an obviously painful impact with the larger teen’s back but, more importantly, pelting the lions head-on. The females backed off with bloodied faces, but the male was still angry and threatening.</p><p>And then it wasn’t, because it was now limp on the ground.</p><p>Shishiou Tsukasa had <em>punched a fucking lion to death.</em></p><p>Senkuu rolled onto his back to stare up at the newcomer incredulously. He’d been expecting someone ridiculously strong- but this was nearing physically impossible.</p><p>Tsukasa was very tall and oddly lean for someone so formidable, but covered in rippling muscles that he confidently put on display as he stood over the two of them. His face was lined with diagonal slashing scars that did nothing to take away from the unexpected beauty of his features. With a kind smile he extended a hand to each of them.</p><p>“I apologize for my rudeness earlier- this is all a lot to take in,” he said as he helped them up, voice smooth and calm. His hand was twice the size of Senkuu’s and covered in calluses.</p><p>Senkuu remembered himself and gave a friendly smirk, ignoring the lightheadedness that came with standing too quickly. “Don’t worry, it only gets weirder from here. You get to be part of your very own isekai trope: our little civilization isn’t doing too hot, so we’ve summoned you. Here, put this on.” He gestured to Taiju, who blinked in confusion before hurriedly handing over the garment Yuzuriha had made.</p><p>“Civilization?” Tsukasa asked, obliging. Senkuu couldn’t help his relief; it was one thing to have a huge guy staring at you, but quite another to have a huge <em>naked</em> guy staring at you.</p><p>“Correct,” the scientist replied, “although it’s not much right now. There are only two other people besides the three of us that aren’t still made of stone.” He watched as several emotions flickered through those warm eyes, but was suspicious when Tsukasa only nodded his understanding, not letting anything show on his face.</p><p>He understood why this man had unnerved Gen.</p><p>Tsukasa moved closer once he was clothed, absolutely towering over Senkuu and at least a head taller than Taiju. “What can I do to help?”</p><p>“Hunt,” Taiju replied, which was off-script but an allowance Senkuu could make. The scientist pointed to him gratefully, nodding.</p><p>“Exactly. None of us has the proper skill levels or stamina for it and it’s starting to affect our health. You looked most promising.”</p><p>The mention of their health cued another glance-over that was much more subtle than the ones prior, but one that Senkuu caught easily all the same; being subject to that analytical gaze made his skin crawl. The dude had <em>intense</em> eyes.</p><p>Without hesitation, Tsukasa replied, “I’d be glad to help.” He grinned in a congenial way, turning to make a sweeping gesture at the fresh corpse behind him. “We can start with this- do you have a knife?”</p><p><em>He’s testing me.</em> He could feel it. Maybe it just took one to know one, but to Senkuu it was easy to see that Tsukasa was a very calculating person- he was planning much more than he let on.</p><p>There was definitely something off about this man. More data was needed, but in the meantime they had to assume that he was a threat and not to be trusted.</p><p>And yet it was imperative that their newest member not know how suspicious Senkuu was of him; the longer they could get along in peace, the more time Senkuu had to bring his plans to completion.</p><p>The safer his family would be.</p><p>It wasn’t appealing, but he’d have to put Plan 38 into effect.</p><p>So, as Taiju disbelievingly asked if lion meat was even edible, Senkuu met Tsukasa’s eyes squarely, mirrored his grin, and handed over his blade.<br/>
--</p><p>Taiju held the curtain aside for them as Senkuu led Tsukasa into their treehouse base. Tsukasa’s eyes roved over everything carefully, but when they landed on Yuzuriha, who clutched Cassie to her chest with barely-hidden anxiety, they widened just the slightest bit in surprise. Senkuu couldn’t help his nervous smirk, but that was fine because he could tweak it slightly and then it was the casual smile he was going for.</p><p>He came to stand between them and pointed to the taller man.</p><p>“Yuzuriha, this is Tsukasa. Tsukasa, this is Yuzuriha. You could say she’s the heart of our operation.”</p><p>“Nice to meet you,” she said, managing warmth.</p><p>Tsukasa nodded. “Likewise. I look forward to getting to know you.”</p><p>Neither Taiju nor Yuzuriha said anything about Cassie, standing in tense silence as they waited for Senkuu to make the next move; again, that was fine. They could come off as protective and wary all they wanted and it would only serve to strengthen the act.</p><p>But Tsukasa seemed to be a fellow dominant personality, from what little Senkuu could read of his hidden behaviors, and so he was the one to fill the silence before it was even a few seconds long.</p><p>“And who’s this?”</p><p>He asked it in a friendly enough fashion, but even if he was being ten billion percent genuine, the sight of his giant hand pointing in the direction of Senkuu’s baby was enough to make the scientist want to throw the entire plan to the wind and snatch her up, hide her away.</p><p>But that was stupid- right now his arms were not the safest place for her to be.</p><p>
  <em>I hate this.</em>
</p><p>Senkuu kept his voice light, his posture loose. Right now he wasn’t a threat to Tsukasa’s hidden plans.</p><p>“Ah, sorry, don’t mind them- they get a bit overprotective.” He went to Yuzuriha’s side and slung a casual arm around her shoulders, silently coaxing her to relax, then shared a short, significant look with Taiju.</p><p>
  <em>Keep calm, guys.</em>
</p><p>He jerked his head towards his daughter, taking the plunge.</p><p>“That’s Cassie, their baby.”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Thanks for your patience, as always! I need to stop making promises- or even estimates- of when I'll update next, because that always seems to make the time between even longer somehow -_-</p><p>Ya boi is here! Is he friend or foe? What crimes will he commit?</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
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